This article reports a study of the public perception of large wood in rivers and streams in the United States. Large wood is an element of freshwater aquatic ecosystems that has attracted much scientific interest in recent years because of its value in biological and geomorphological processes. At the heart of the issue is the nature of the relationship between scientific recognition of the ecological and geomorphological benefits of wood in rivers, management practices utilizing wood for river remediation progress, and public perceptions of in-channel wood. Surveys of students' perceptions of riverscapes with and without large wood in the states of Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Oregon, and Texas suggest that many individuals in the United States adhere to traditionally negative views of wood. Except for students in Oregon, most respondents considered photographs of riverscapes with wood to be less aesthetically pleasing and needing more improvement than rivers without wood. Analysis of reasons given for improvement needs suggest that Oregon students are concerned with improving channels without wood for fauna habitat, whereas respondents elsewhere focused on the need for cleaning wood-rich channels for flood risk management. These results underscore the importance of public education to increase awareness of the geomorphological and ecological significance of wood in stream systems. This awareness should foster more positive attitudes toward wood. An integrated program of research, education, and policy is advocated to bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and public perception for effective management and restoration of river systems with wood.

This article reports a survey of 196 river managers in seven states across the USA assessing their perceptions of in-stream wood. This survey followed corresponding questionnaires given to undergraduate students representing non-expert views in the same states and in 10 countries around the world. Whereas most students registered predominantly negative views of in-stream wood (i.e. not aesthetically pleasing, dangerous and needing improvement), American managers perceive rivers with wood as significantly more aesthetically pleasing, less dangerous and needing less improvement than rivers without wood. These views were consistent across different types of managers (conservation, fisheries, forestry, recreation and water), suggesting that because of education, training and field experience beyond the undergraduate degree, managers gain more positive views of in-stream wood. Analysis of manager responses grouped by years in the profession suggests that professional experience or information within professional networks plays a role. As years worked in the profession increase, managers' responses to photos with and without wood became significantly different, showing sharper discernment in viewing in-stream wood more positively. We conceptualize evolving management strategies involving wood in American rivers as a series of iterative states within changing human-landscape systems produced by interacting impacts and feedbacks. In this example application, the Interactive, Integrative, and Iterative (III) Framework for Human Landscape Change highlights the importance of public education and policy as necessary feedback linkages to close the gap between people's perceptions of wood and scientific advances that recognize the significant role of wood in rivers.

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