Effects of clear-cutting on stream temperature.

The principal source of energy for warming streams is the sun. The amount of sunlight reaching the stream may be increased after clear-cut logging. Average monthly maximum temperatures increased by 14°F and annual maximum temperatures increased from 57° to 85°F one year after clear-cut logging on a small watershed in Oregon's coast range. In a nearby watershed where strips of brush and trees separated logging units from the stream, no changes in temperature were observed that could be attributed to clear- cutting.