Nature watchdogs publish "first ever" guide to stemming floods through forestry

The Forestry Commission and other UK regional, natural resource watchdogs have published a “first-ever,” UK-wide guide outlining how forests and woodlands can reduce the damaging effects and financial impact of flooding on vulnerable communities.

The guide’s authors said it will “enable the forest sector to play a stronger role in flood mitigation, which will increase the resilience of communities to flooding and reduce the financial impact of future floods.” They added: “Woodlands can play a key role in flood mitigation and make an important contribution to reducing downstream flood risk.

“Tree planting can significantly affect the volume, pathway and timing of surface run-off, slowing and reducing flood peaks, while management operations such as cultivation, drainage, road construction and harvesting can have the opposite effect if not appropriately managed.

The guide: Designing and managing forests and woodlands to reduce flood risk, is sponsored by the Forestry Commission, Natural Resources Wales, Scottish Forestry and Northern Ireland Forest Service.

It will, they said, assist landowners, forest and woodland managers, planners to meet the requirements of the UK Forestry Standard, and in doing so, “make a positive contribution to reducing flood flows and the damaging effects of flooding.”

Forestry Commission chief executive, Richard Stanford, said: “This new practice guide will promote working with natural processes to deliver a more sustainable, catchment-based approach to managing flood risk to benefit communities across the UK.”

Natural Resources Wales’ head of land stewardship, Dominic Driver, said: “Inappropriate forest management can risk environmental harm and reduce the well-being benefits that we derive from water. The UK Forestry Standard helps us ensure sustainable forest management in Wales, and this practice guide will help contribute to that.”