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5 surprising ways trees prevent flooding

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When you think of flood protection, you might imagine giant concrete dams, embankments, or glistening dams on the River Thames. But some of the most powerful tools for reducing flood risk are by far the more natural and widely recognized forests and green spaces. Trees provide more than beauty and oxygen. Learn how trees protect us from floods.

1. Rain blocking

Trees and green spaces are key to protecting us from flooding. When it rains in a forest, trees play an important role in managing the flow of water. The forest canopy acts like a giant umbrella, catching and holding rainwater before it hits the ground.

This slows down the rate at which rain reaches the soil, allowing water to gradually seep into the ground rather than flowing directly over the ground into rivers and waterways. This delayed water flow lowers peak water levels in rivers during severe storms and helps prevent flash flooding.

One of us (Martina) conducted a two-year, non-peer-reviewed study using sensor equipment to measure surface water speeds and levels at various locations along two rivers in the Menstrie catchment in Scotland. I participated in Some have more tree cover and others less.

Wooded streams appeared to have a consistent decrease in flow compared to barren streams. This suggests that young forests can dramatically reduce water runoff during rainfall, potentially preventing flooding from overwhelming streams and rivers.

As trees grow and mature, their influence on water management can become even greater. This study adds to the growing body of evidence that forests provide a natural defense against flooding.

Trees are one of our best allies in adapting to the increasing risks of climate change. Trees also remove water from catchments through evapotranspiration. This causes water to evaporate from the surface of the soil and is released from the leaves and other surfaces of the plants.

Importantly, these processes are not only relevant to the scale of rural catchments. We can harness the benefits of trees and plants in our towns and cities as small-scale, targeted interventions.

2. Keep rivers clean

Trees help keep rivers clean and healthy. Without trees, rain can wash large amounts of soil (and pollutants) into rivers. This can reduce its ability to carry water. But tree roots act like anchors, holding the soil in place and preventing it from washing into rivers.

This keeps the river clear, stops sedimentation, and makes it easier to deal with flooding. This helps prevent flooding and maintains river capacity to protect against future flooding.

In places like the Menstrie catchment, planting trees around rivers can trap dirt and sediment in the upper reaches of the river, keeping downstream areas cleaner.

Plowed ground is better able to capture sediment throughout the watershed as the plow lines act as a barrier. These include others such as hand screeching (a method of manually leveling small areas for planting trees) and excavator mounding (a process of using machinery to build small hills to help trees). keeps deposits in place more efficiently than other techniques. grows well in humid areas), but has been less successful in containing sediments.

Evidence shows that trees are essential for long-term soil stabilization. Cultivation methods and forestry practices therefore play an important role in managing erosion and sediment flow.

3. Absorbs and stores water like a sponge

Trees increase the soil’s ability to absorb water. Roots extend deep into the soil, creating preferential channels for water to be absorbed into the soil rather than flowing to the surface. This process helps reduce the amount of water that rushes toward rivers and streams after heavy rains. This is the main factor that slows down the flow of water and reduces flooding.

The way trees are planted, the slope of the land, and the type of soil all affect the amount of water runoff during rainfall. Different planting techniques have different effects on water runoff depending on the amount of rainfall.

During floods, some areas with trees (including plots with plow cultivation or excavated fill) experience less runoff than non-planted areas with no trees.

4. Reducing surface runoff

When heavy rain falls on bare land, water can run off quickly and cause flooding. Trees, along with their roots and fallen leaves, slow this rate by helping the ground absorb more water.

This reduces the amount of water flowing into the river at one time and prevents flooding. Planting trees using different layouts, densities and patterns can make this even more effective as the trees grow better and absorb more water, thereby reducing runoff. Masu.

5. Stop floods

In Somerset, UK, a riverside tree-planting project led by the Environment Agency is playing an important role in reducing flood risk.

Since 2020, around 30,000 trees and shrubs have been planted in multiple locations to slow the flow of water and protect communities vulnerable to flooding. These trees were strategically placed along riverbanks, such as in Somerset’s Parrett catchment, which is a known flood-prone area.

Underground, tree roots gulp down large amounts of water, slowing down the flow of rainwater. And when floods hit a forest, tree trunks act like natural barriers or walls, slowing the flow of water so it doesn’t rush to other areas and cause major flooding. These positive effects can be further strengthened by planning and planting forests to increase resilience to climate change.

Provided by The Conversation

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.conversation

Citation: 5 Surprising Ways Trees Help Prevent Floods (October 18, 2024), Retrieved October 19, 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2024-10-ways-trees.html

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