to Forestry Commission home page
to Forest Research home page

Forest Research home > Research > Woodlands & the environment > Forest hydrology

Can forestry reduce flooding?

General picture of floodingForests the world over, have long been associated with helping to reduce flooding. Most flooding disasters have been partly blamed on the effects of deforestation.

However, the emerging view amongst forest hydrologists is that forestry in general probably has a relatively limited role to play in reducing major floods.