Can tree shelterbelts on agricultural land reduce flood risk?

Agricultural practices in the UK have come under increased scrutiny since the heavy and widespread flooding of 2000 and 2001. Although the impact of land use on runoff and flood risk is of growing concern, there are few quantitative data available. A preliminary study was undertaken in the Nant Pontbren catchment, mid-Wales. Experimental tree shelterbelts were established in selected pastures of land used for sheep grazing. Water infiltration rates were up to 60 times higher in areas planted with young trees than in adjacent grazed pastures. This demonstrates that farm trees could represent a key landscape feature, reducing run-off even when only present as a small proportion of the land cover. This is likely to be just one of the environmental and economic benefits of planting trees to re-create a more diverse agricultural landscape.