Search results
People also ask
What are the benefits of a woodland?
Are woodlands valuable for Nature?
Why do we need woodlands in the UK?
How can woodlands help improve mental health & wellbeing?
Why do we need more woodland?
Are woodland visits worth it?
Woods and trees can improve our health and wellbeing in many ways, including reducing stress, improving mood, and boosting the immune system. Embracing nature's embrace: woods and trees do more than just clean air. Growing scientific evidence is revealing that reconnecting us to nature bolsters our physical and mental wellbeing.
Nov 4, 2022 · Protecting and managing ancient woodlands, while expanding and connecting nature networks with new native woodlands, is critical and beneficial for all living things. Read more about the ...
- Applies to England
- How woodland creation can help
- Natural flood management
- Woodland to improve water quality
- Riparian planting to improve water quality
- Shelterbelts to improve water quality
- The wider benefits of woodland creation
- 3 steps towards woodland creation
- Useful resources
Planting the right tree in the right place can help reduce the impacts of storm and flood water and alleviate the impact of drought, improve water quality, reduce soil erosion, and help keep rivers cool. Financial support and expert advice are also available to help realise the far-reaching benefits woodland can have for you, your land, the environ...
A well-planned and well-positioned woodland designed to comply with the UK Forestry Standard can help to slow the flow of water and reduce flood peaks by up to 65%.
Rough vegetation helps to slow the flow of water during flood events and the volume of run-off can be reduced as trees improve rainwater infiltration (water on the ground surface that enters the soil). Infiltration is 60 times higher under woodland compared to grass because woodland soils are more open and less compact, enabling the soil to soak up and store rainwater like a sponge. Under-planting of shrubs can also increase infiltration rates across existing woodland and in a mature woodland provides continued roughness to slow the flow of water.
Having woodland in a catchment increases the interception and evaporation of rainfall – further contributing towards effective natural flood management.
Up to £500/ha is available to farmers and landowners through the England Woodland Creation Offer – for creating woodland that reduces flood risk.
There are a variety of planting options that can help manage floods on your land and minimise their impact on downstream communities, these include:
•catchment woodlands: planting catchment woodlands can intercept, slow, store and filter water to reduce flood peaks and frequency
Woodland can act as natural buffers between watercourses and neighbouring land, helping to reduce up to 80% of pollutants draining down from upslope agricultural activities. Planting woodland between the field edge and a river can also decrease sediment run-off by 90-100%, nutrient losses by 20-80%, and reduce pesticide loss in run-off by 60-100%, helping to mitigate water contamination in nearby watercourses. It is essential to disconnect any existing field drainage that runs into and under a new woodland, otherwise this will prevent the woodland from functioning as a buffer.
Tree roots can also help to stabilise riverbanks and protect them from erosion, thus reducing sediment settling in waterways – further improving overall water quality.
As well as helping to naturally manage floods, riparian woodland can act as effective buffer zones, by reducing, and in most cases, preventing pollutants from neighbouring fields from entering nearby watercourses.
Riparian planting also provides dappled shade, keeping rivers cool which in turn maintains suitable aquatic habitats – leaves, twigs, and branches that fall into rivers and streams are beneficial for plants, invertebrates, and fish.
Planting blocks of woodland on your land can reduce spray drift by up to 90% and capture ammonia released from livestock units and pesticide run-off before they reach watercourses. Appropriate planting schemes can increase infiltration rates across land prone to rainwater run-off, reducing sediment that can otherwise contaminate downslope waterways.
As well as improving water quality, shelterbelts provide suitable shelter for livestock, crops, and help keep topsoil in the field. They help to lower windspeed and provide shelter that can otherwise impact your crops, livestock and eventually, your bottom line. Shelterbelt woodland can preserve water needed for crops by offering sufficient wind-shade to reduce water evaporation during periods of drought, possibly leading to better and more sustainable yields.
A carefully planned and managed woodland can create an attractive landscape feature, offer shade for crops and livestock, prevent nutrient loss and soil erosion, and deliver opportunities to diversify and create reliable income streams from timber, woodfuel, carbon and recreation.
Discover the far-reaching benefits of woodland creation in Plant your future: The case for trees.
1.Consider opportunities for woodland creation on your land.
2.Have clear objectives for your woodland.
3.Speak to your local Woodland Creation Team or one of our partners.
Read the latest guidance on woodland creation and information on grants and available support.
There is a growing body of evidence that woodlands provide a number of social benefits as well as the more obvious economic and environmental benefits. These include mental and physical...
Mar 21, 2023 · We have undertaken economic analyses as to the value of woodland visits and the savings they make to the NHS in terms of treatments, and can confidently demonstrate the financial benefits to...
Nov 4, 2022 · Find out how you can protect, restore and expand existing woodland habitats, home to a wealth of animal and plant species, to support nature’s recovery at a transformative scale.
A carefully planned and managed woodland ofers a wide range of benefits beyond supporting biodiversity. Trees can support health and well-being, improve air quality, ofer shade for crops and...
