WOODY DEBRIS IN STREAMS PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ECOLOGICAL ROLE

Woody debris in streams plays an important ecological role. It can also wreak havoc on infrastructure, such as culverts and bridges, when washed downstream, particularly during flood events. Field inventories of woody debris are time-consuming and potentially hazardous. Up until relatively recently, remote sensing technologies were inadequate for the task, lacking in spatial resolution and often costing too much. This presentation will draw from an award-winning project in vermont in which unmanned aircraft systems (uas) were used to map and monitor woody debris over time in support of a bridge redesign project. Uas were found to be a fast, safe, efficient, and accurate method for carrying out woody debris inventories allowing the consulting engineering company to base their bridge designs on actionable information