The Watershed Condition Framework classifies most southeastern watersheds as functioning at risk, highlighting the need to understand and restore these watersheds. Riparian zone management can create potential sources of disturbance to watersheds and aquatic ecosystems, impacting water quantity and quality, as well as food sources for aquatic organisms. The highest biomass of macroinvertebrate in streams are often crayfish, which provide numerous ecosystem services within watersheds. Additionally, the southeastern US is the major center of crayfish diversity and 48% of North American crayfishes are threatened. Furthermore, there is a great need to understand the relationship between multi-scale processes driving community-level crayfish diversity which will shed light on subsequent ecosystem changes. We assessed three riparian zone management/forest types (change in forest type but no active management [dense pine], change in forest type and active management [thinned pine], natural conditions [bottomland hardwoods]) to assess if crayfish density and abundance in streams and riparian zones differs between management types. Findings will help managers and landowners create resilient forest communities and ecosystems by understanding and providing information to help anticipate and mitigate threats due to land management and anthropogenic changes that impact aquatic ecosystems.