Slowing the Flow: How Trees Protect Windermere’s Future

Tree planting for a resilient future

By 2028, more than 92,500 trees will be planted in the Windermere catchment on

land looked after by the National Trust. This will benefit both nature and people by helping to make the landscape more resilient to the effects of climate change, which can cause wetter winters and more extreme rainfall events.

Tree planting is playing a vital role in restoring and protecting the environment in Windermere. From improving water quality to supporting wildlife and tackling climate change, every single one makes a difference. Even small-scale planting can have a big impact – especially when it comes to improving water flow and quality.

What trees are being planted and where?

The National Trust and its tenant farmers are planting tens of thousands of trees in the Windermere catchment over the next three years. This is in addition to thousands already in the ground. The Windermere catchment area includes all the becks, tarns and wetlands from as far north as Grasmere where the water gradually makes its way down the fells to join Windermere.

One of the key sites is Common Farm, managed by National Trust rangers. Earlier this year, 3,500 trees were planted there, including varieties of Hazel, Oak, Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Silver Birch, Crab Apple, Bird Cherry and Elder. Many of these species either produce berries or nuts, which provide vital food for wildlife.

This winter, an additional 4,000 trees and shrubs will be planted across Common Farm and other areas in the catchment. Many of these will be planted in scrubby exclusion cages – fenced-off areas designed to protect young plants and encourage dense thickets for wildlife and nesting birds.

In the orchard at Common Farm, rangers and volunteers will also be planting the last of the apple trees this November and carrying out formative pruning to prepare for top grafting next year.

John Pring, Countryside Manager for the National Trust, ‘We’re committed to building a resilient, thriving landscape. That means creating new wood pastures, restoring meadows and grasslands, and adding ponds to strengthen climate resilience across the catchment. By working closely with neighbouring landowners, tenant farmers, partners, and the local community, we’re joining up habitats so wildlife can flourish. And we’re making it easier for everyone to enjoy the outdoors – because when people connect with nature, they’re inspired to care for it.’

Significant tree planting will be taking place in the area over the next three years by National Trust farm tenants as part of the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier Schemes they are looking to enter. Phil Allonby at Grove Farm will be planting 3200 trees and Tom and Katy Beaty at Long Green Head Farm, near Troutbeck are looking to plant 30,000 trees.

Over on the west shore of Windermere thousands of trees have been planted since 2020 in locations including Basecamp Plantation, Belt Ash Coppice, Beyond the Fields, Flemming Wood, Heald Wood, Tanner Brow, Tom Scales, Wilson Knott and Wood Close. A lot of planting in this area was done to replace larch trees felled due to disease.  In most cases these areas are replanted with native species to restore a more natural woodland, with some conifers mixed in for the red squirrels.

Richard Tanner,  Area Ranger for the National Trust comments, ‘We always plant a mix of tree species to grow a more robust woodland to better resist climate change and new pests and diseases as they crop up. Once planted the trees need several years of aftercare, regular weeding stops the trees being smothered by bracken.’

Talking about the challenges of establishing woodland, Tanner goes on to say ‘we expect to lose some of the trees we plant to competition, disease or animal browsing, so we’ll replace those that have died after a couple of growing seasons.’

How does tree planting make a difference to water quality and flooding? 

Slowing the flow: Trees disrupt the journey of water through a catchment, helping to retain more water in the landscape and slowing the flow into becks and rivers. The tree canopy intercepts rainfall, much of which later evaporates, reducing the amount of water reaching the ground. Surface flow is intercepted and disrupted by woodland and hedgerow higher in a catchment, whilst floodplain and riparian (riverside) planting adds roughness, creating a physical barrier which slows flow as it reaches the watercourse. Together this reduces both the amount of water reaching a river and the speed of the flow, reducing flood risk by reducing flood peaks in both their frequency and their intensity.

Improving water quality: Tree roots help to improve soil structures, stabilising areas at risk of erosion and breaking up compacted areas, allowing water to better infiltrate the ground. The roughness created by floodplain and riparian planting physically catches sediment from surface flow. Together these reduce the run-off of soil into watercourses, improving water quality. Slowing the flow of rivers during flood events also increases the amount of sediment which is deposited on the floodplain rather than being washed downstream.

Tree planting also has multiple other benefits, capturing and storing carbon, acting as habitat for wildlife and shelter for livestock, and, depending on the type of tree, providing a sustainable source of timber.

Investing in the future

Tree planting is a long-term project, not a quick fix. Trees all grow at different rates. It all depends on climate and soils, so it’s difficult to say at what age a tree will be at a specific height or maturity, but generally for early maturity in trees; Hawthorn takes 5 – 10 years, Gorse 10  –  20 years, Field Maple 15 – 25 years and Oak 20 – 40 years. Considering that an oak tree can live for 100-300 years on average – for an oak sapling planted in 2025 – it will be our children’s grandchildren who’ll get to experience the tree in its full glory.

Find out more about the National Trust’s work in Windermere and tree planting to tackle climate change nationally.