JBA Consulting was commissioned to assess the flood alleviation benefits of woodland planting at an upland site in Nottinghamshire. Incorporating the impacts of woodland into hydraulic models enabled JBA to model the physical impacts of planting on flood levels and therefore to estimate the economic value of associated flood relief benefits.

Southwell is located within a significant flood risk area and has historically been flooded from a number of sources including fluvial, pluvial and surface water components. Given the topography of the upper catchments (referred to as Halam and Potwell) and the significant overland flow routes that are generated, Southwell represents good opportunity for assessing the effectiveness of woodland creation approaches.