Dams are increasingly proposed for removal across the United States because of the aging and unsafe infrastructure, deleterious ecological impacts, and limited or obsolete economic benefits. Various approaches exist for removal of the structures, each with advantages and disadvantages related to postremoval channel stability and ecological recovery. While some general expectations regarding the outcomes of dam removal have been reported and some scientific observations of small dam removals have been made, this emerging science is characterized by uncertainty in the short- and long-term patterns of recovery following removal.