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 Coarse woody debris (CWD) has important ecological roles. However, our understanding of wood decay dynamics is limited in
British Columbia because the time required to study it is long and ecologists and forest managers have only recently become interested in it.
In 1996, the 5 ha Study Area and the 1 ha Permanent Sample Plot were created to establish the Pothole Creek Study Area. Both the Study Area and the Permanent Sample Plot were surveyed for coarse woody debris to gain a better understanding of CWD
dynamics in order to include them in growth and yield models.
Coarse Woody Debris Survey: On the 5 ha Study Area, a survey of coarse woody debris was conducted in conjunction with a survey of regeneration.
Coarse Woody Debris within the PSP: All CWD with a diameter larger than 20 cm was permanently tagged and measured. Coarse Woody Debris in the Demonstration Area: Fifty-five polygons of approximately ten 11.28 m radius plots each were established within the Douglas-fir
dominated Pothole Creek
Demonstration Area. CWD content was surveyed by ocular estimates, and plots were subsampled and intensively measured for comparison.
CWD's affect on microsite for germination and establishment of Douglas-fir seeds and seedlings was also examined. See: Regeneration and Coarse Woody Debris.
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