Farmers have helped plant over 1,700 trees on farmland to naturally slow the flood of surface water in times of flood.
Farmers and environmental workers planted native trees in fields near Lambley and Lowdham, Nottinghamshire, to support a £1 million Natural Flood Management (NFM) scheme.
The project aims to use a mixture of oak, alder, cherry and hawthorn trees to stop flooding, reducing the amount of water entering the Cocker Beck.
The activities are part of a £15 million national NFM programme which, in addition to reducing flood risk and enhancing the environment, it aims to contribute to the evidence base for NFM as a tool to reduce flood risk.
Work on the ground started in November 2018 and will continue across 15 sites upstream of Lowdham.
Measures include constructing ‘leaky’ wooden barriers to help reduce the amount of water that enters the Cocker Beck.
The barriers slow and store water within the existing ditch network, reducing the rate it travels to the downstream communities. They will also help to trap sediment to improve water quality downstream.
The project runs until March 2021.
