Forestry is a major economic activity in boreal and temperate countries for the development of societies and logging to extract wood production has happened during centuries. This is the case of Eastern Canada where forestry and mining companies were the first to establish during colonization. Logs gathered by the historical loggings in Canada were carried by rivers because of a lack of infrastructure, through a method known as the log drive. Of the large volume of logs transported down the rivers, around 15% sank to the bottom of the water courses. The deposition of woody debris in lakes can affect spawning and shelter areas and nutrient availability, as well as release toxic elements, such as wood soluble components and mercury, and can create anoxic zones due to a restraint of oxygen renewal caused by the stratification of the watershed. The development of an oxygen-deprived environment favours the synthesis of methylmercury (MeHg), a toxic compound that is absorbed in aquatic organisms. Only a few research studies focused on the effects of such activities on the aquatic environments and organisms, stressing the need to acquire knowledge to better understand the impact of these past human activities on aquatic ecosystems. The goal of this review is to give an overview of the historical evidence of log drive in the World as well as the current knowledge regarding the impact of log drive on lake ecosystems. The existence of considerable knowledge gaps allows for the in-depth discussion about the problems associated with the practice of log driving in lakes, despite the lack of scientific consensus. This review improves our understanding regarding how the aquatic organisms have been affected by log driving and their resilience in order to make recommendations for ecological restoration in lake ecosystems.