Water Stewardship Information Sources
| Citation | Bovis, MJ, Millard, TH and Oden, ME. 1998. Gully processes in coastal British Columbia: The role of woody debris. In: Hogan, D.L., P.J. Tschaplinski, and S. Chatwin (Editors). B.C. Min. For., Res. Br., Victoria, B.C. Land Manage. Handb. No. 41. |
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| Organization | FLNRO |
| URL | https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/docs/Lmh/Lmh41.htm |
| Abstract/Description or Keywords | The Gully Management Problem in Coastal British Columbia Large tracts of forested terrain in coastal British Columbia are dissected by gullies. These steep channels are typically less than 1 km in length and 3–30 m in depth, and have a V-shaped crosssectional form. Because of their steepness and instability, gullies are important sources of both sediment and large woody debris (LWD) for downstream areas in coastal British Columbia (Chatwin et al. 1994). Much of this material is delivered by debris flows, triggered by relatively small debris slides on steep, unstable gully walls. It is now widely acknowledged that logging activities have greatly increased the delivery rate of both sediment and LWD from gullies, principally by increasing the frequency and magnitude of gully debris flows. The result in many cases has been unacceptably high debris loadings to downstream areas (Wilford and Schwab 1983; Rood 1984; Roberts and Church 1986). The need for better forest management practices in gullies prompted the B.C. Ministry of Forests to develop the Gully Assessment Procedures (Hogan and Millard, this volume). The procedures are designed to assess the likelihood of debris slides, debris flows, and fluvial transport of sediment and woody debris occurring, and recommend the best practicable strategies to minimize gully instability. It is generally recommended that excess woody debris produced by logging operations be removed if the potential for either water transport of debris or debris flow is deemed significant. Indeed, post-harvest clearance of LWD is now common practice in coastal gullies. However, despite the acknowledged importance of woody debris in the sediment dynamics of gullies, there are very few quantitative data on the real-time in-gully interactions between sediment and coarse woody debris. This study reports data on the effects of woody debris in both logged and unlogged gully channels, including observations on the effects of woody debris removal from gully channels following timber harvest. |
| Information Type | Article |
| Regional Watershed | Coast Region |
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| Project status | complete |
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