3 October 2025 | Article

Positive Impact of Dead Wood in Stream

On a property under agreement with fightCOtwo for Boreal Mix, continuous efforts to add dead wood in a stream have shown rapid ecological benefits. An electrofishing survey revealed that young fish thrive among the branches and logs—finding both food and shelter. A simple action with lasting impact.

On a property where fightCOtwo has signed an agreement, the management plan includes a range of conservation measures. One task for the landowner is to continuously create dead wood in a stream. This began over a year ago when trees were felled into the stream and smaller branches placed along the banks.

This year, the local fishery association managing Laisälven and its surrounding waters launched a long-term project aimed at surveying small tributaries and, when needed, improving habitats and spawning grounds.

The monitoring is carried out using electrofishing in selected stream sections every autumn. Electrofishing works as the name suggests: with an electric wand connected to a power source, fish are briefly stunned so they can be caught with a net. The fish are allowed to recover in a water-filled container, then measured and counted, and finally released back into the stream.

This year’s survey—the first of its kind—showed how important dead wood is for fish reproduction. In the stream sections where dead wood had been introduced, the year’s fry were found among the branches and logs, using them as both shelter and a food source.

The results demonstrate that creating dead wood in streams is a simple yet effective action, delivering significant ecological benefits compared to the effort invested.

A year from now, we expect to present more detailed results, when we can compare multiple years of monitoring.

Result of electrofishing survey

Photo by fightCOtwo 2025

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