A Stream's Eye View

Take a moment and picture what you would see if you were a fish in the middle of a stream looking straight up. On most streams you will see branches weaving amongst each other, and during the right season you would see leaves. This is the stream's canopy cover. Canopy cover is any vegetation that creates shading over and along a stream. A good canopy cover is important for the health of a stream. Leaves create shading over a stream and help block sunlight, thus controlling water temperature and plant growth. Warmer water holds less oxygen, making it harder for life depending on oxygen to breath. Some streams are naturally warmer that others, but too much direct sunlight on some streams creates unhealthy conditions.

For "aesthetic" reasons some people clear and mow directly up to streams banks to allow a better view of the water, unaware that clearing the valuable cover can cause a number of environmental issues. A good environmental practice is to limit the amount of clearing done along streams. If there is a cleared area, tree and shrub plantings can help restore the canopy to a healthy level.

A number of Western Pennsylvania Conservancy projects take canopy cover into consideration. Canopy cover is just one of the components for which the health of a stream is evaluated during stream assessments preformed by Western Pennsylvania Conservancy staff. Today's picture was taken while standing in a small un-named tributary of Loyalhanna Creek in Westmoreland County.

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