During the last couple of decades there has been an increasing attention on Large Wood in riverine environments. Because of the continuous interaction between water, riparian areas, and vegetated patches, there are many different relationships between floods, sediment fluxes and LW production and transport. In-channel wood increases the structural and geomorphic complexity of river corridors and plays an important role in supporting their biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. However, in-channel wood may also induce risks for human populations, reducing channel conveyance and damaging structures. In order to ensure the positive contributions of LW to river ecosystems, and minimize potential risks, an integrated approach to wood management along the entire river continuum is needed. The amount of LW in rivers depends on a complex balance of wood input/recruitment, output/transport, and decay. The ability to monitor and model wood dynamics is essential for improved management the fluvial systems. Several new surveying techniques have been developed during the last years, e.g. video monitoring, radio transmitters, tracking devices, as well as flume and numerical modeling.
The purpose of this session is to disseminate the emerging perspectives related with in-stream wood, and to stimulate the debate connecting the LW to ecology, geomorphology and management of rivers. The session particularly invites recent works on new advances on the understanding of the interactions between LW and the riverine ecosystem (nutrient and energy cycle, creation of habitats, sources of food for different organisms...); new advances in techniques for wood monitoring and modeling (tracers, monitoring techniques, flume and numerical modeling.); on LW dynamics (recruitment, transport, deposition…); and on the management of LW on catchment and river corridor scales.