The role of wood in the formation and maintenance of complex dynamic floodplain surfaces is important and to date has received relatively limited attention compared to in-channel habitat processes. This paper explores the role of logjams as important agents of channel:floodplain interaction. We draw on a specific case study as well as examples from the literature to show that although the processes of interaction differ, the resulting dynamic floodplain patchwork is a common feature of rivers with logjams. In addition, we contend that the presence of logjams is an important factor in the evolution and maintenance of multiple channel patterns in both montane and lowland river environments. These observations have important implications for the definition of reference targets for river restoration. The specific results of this research show:1) The presence of a range of types of multiple channel network dissecting the floodplains of low order channels that are strongly associated with the presence of logjams. 2) The relatively rapid formation of floodplain channels following logjam formation.3) The dynamic nature of logjams within headwater channels on both seasonal and annual timescales that lead to a highly dynamic habitat mosaic on the floodplain surface. 4) An increased frequency of overbank flooding and high rates of floodplain sediment accumulation upstream of logjams and along floodplain channel networks that create the complex topography observed in the case study forested floodplains.

Background: Scotland has a policy aimed at increasing physical activity levels in the population, but evidence on how to achieve this is still developing. Studies that focus on encouraging real world participants to start physical activity in their settings are needed. The Walking for Well-being in the West study was designed to assess the effectiveness of a pedometer-based walking programme in combination with physical activity consultation. The study was multi-disciplinary and based in the community. Walking for Well-being in the West investigated whether Scottish men and women, who were not achieving the current physical activity recommendation, increased and maintained walking behaviour over a 12 month period. This paper outlines the rationale and design of this innovative and pragmatic study.

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Wood is an important element in many river systems, interacting with channel and floodplain geomorphology, hydrology and ecology. Restoration practices are increasingly re-introducing wood into streams and researchers have started to study the geomorphic and ecological effects of re-introducing wood into rivers. However, little research has attempted to quantify the impacts of river restoration (including the addition of wood jams) on wood retention. Based on tracing dowels to simulate small wood (ranging in length from 0·184 to 1·06 m and diameter from 0·006 to 0·035 m) in three study reaches before and after restoration, this study provides a detailed representation of the influence of restoration on small-wood transport and the relative importance of different trapping sites within a low-order meandering stream in the New Forest, UK. The research specifically addresses the following questions. (i) Does restoration reduce transport of small wood? (ii) Does restoration increase the frequency and type of small-wood trapping sites? (iii) Do wood jams trap more small wood than other trapping sites? (iv) Do shorter pieces of wood travel further than long pieces?The study has demonstrated that (i) different types of restoration have different effects on the frequency and type of small-wood trapping mechanisms, and hence also on small-wood transport; (ii) wood jams were the most effective structures for trapping small wood in this environment; (iii) shorter pieces of wood travelled further than long pieces. Channel-floodplain interactions were also found to be important, allowing the floodplain to function as a trapping site.

We investigated the relationship between walking levels and the local neighbourhood physical environment during the Walking for Wellbeing in the West (WWW) randomised pedometer-based community intervention. Walking activity was recorded as step counts at baseline (n = 76), and at 3 months (n = 57), 6 months (n = 54), and 12 months (n = 45) post-intervention. Objective physical environment data were obtained from GIS datasets and street surveys conducted using the SWAT audit tool. Sixty-nine environment variables were reduced to eight environment factors using principal axis factoring, and the relationship between environment factors and (i) step counts, and (ii) the change in step counts relative to baseline, was examined using hierarchical multiple linear regression, controlling for age, gender, income, and deprivation. Five environment factors were significant predictors of step counts, but none were significant predictors of the change in step counts relative to baseline. None of the demographic variables included in the analysis were significant predictors at any stage of the study. Total variance explained by the environment ranged from 6% (P < 0.05) to 34% (P < 0.01), with lowest levels during the initial stages of the study. The physical environment appears to have influenced walking levels during the WWW intervention, and to have contributed to the maintenance of walking levels post-intervention.