Summary
This research project aimed to characterise woodland water quality services to underpin the case for greater investment in woodland creation for water benefits.
Woodland water services play a vital role in improving water quality and reducing flood risk, yet data are lacking to quantify water benefits across different geographies, limiting investment in woodland creation. Insights from the EU COST Action PESFOR‑W highlighted the significant potential of woodlands to address challenges such as diffuse water pollution, prompting development of a Woodland Water Code, funded through Defra Forestry R&D. The NCEA woodland water quality project strengthens the evidence base by measuring water quality across a representative network of woodland streams in England, quantifying, demonstrating, and valuing the water benefits provided by different woodland types and management approaches.
Research Objectives
The main aim of this project was to characterise woodland water quality services to underpin the case for greater investment in woodland creation for water benefits. This was achieved through:
- Establishing and maintaining a monitoring network of 20 woodland dominated stream catchments representative of woodland types, management regimes and geographies across England
- Undertaking monthly water quality sampling and annual benthic macroinvertebrate surveys at each of the 20 streams to establish baseline conditions for a representative period (2.5 to 3.0 years)
- Using data to fully characterise woodland water quality services and test model predictions
- Sharing and integrating data with the EA’s Small Stream and River Surveillance Networks to compare woodland water quality with that draining other land use types and management regimes.
Latest Update
In 2025 we published our first batch of analysis ready data (ARD) up to end 2024. A further release is due in December 2026 so watch this space.
Funding & Partners
- Funded by the UK Government through Defra’s Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment programme (NCEA)
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