Landscapes for water
Trees are a powerful natural flood management tool that, when planted in the right places, can over time help slow the flow of water into rivers and reduce the risk of major flooding events for communities further downstream. Our Landscapes for Water programme focuses on the strategic use of trees to help protect communities in North and West Yorkshire from flooding. Planting trees along our river corridors can also improve biodiversity, improve water quality and help protect riverbanks.
To deliver the Landscapes for Water programme we work closely with the Environment Agency and local White Rose Forest partners to identify the best places for new woodland creation that will help reduce flood risk. We then work with our partners to engage with local landowners to secure land for planting.
We work in three important priority river valleys or catchments in North and West Yorkshire: the Aire catchment, the Calder catchment, and the Swale, Ure, Nidd and Ouse (SUNO) catchment.
We are currently working with landowners within all our priority river catchments to plant trees that will soak up surface water, prevent flooding further down stream, and protect river banks.
From Local Nature Recovery Strategy to action: how the White Rose Forest is helping nature recover
July 10, 2026
Yorkshire communities to benefit from 450,000 trees planted by the White Rose Forest this year.
June 26, 2026
Young tree planters create new woodland for Northallerton community
June 5, 2025