A FLOOD retention area at the head of the River Wharfe catchment area took the prestigious John Boddy Woodlands for Water Award at last week’s Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate.

The award, which every year focuses on a different aspect of woodland management, was won for the second time by farmer John Hart, for his scheme at Hart Wood, Swarthghyll Farm, Oughtershaw, near Buckden, which he runs with his son, Ben.

Entries are judged by representatives of the Forestry Commission, Royal Forestry Society’s the Yorkshire division, Yorkshire Agricultural Society and the Environment Agency, with the winner announced by Sir William Worsley, recently named as DEFRA ‘tree champion’ by Michael Gove.

Sir William said the subject of flooding had significantly grown in importance in Yorkshire since the floods in the winter of 2015 and positive actions on the ground has been delivered by a range of private and public land owners.

Mr Hart had created a flood retention area to retain water in the uplands during high rainfall and times of flood, with the aim of enhancing an already naturally wet area of land so that it could retain more water, reduce flows and reduce the rate of peak flows.

The site will be also used as a demonstration site for other farmers and land owners, and also communities to learn about natural flood management options.

Mr Hart plans to plant trees around the area, to both improve the landscape and to increase habitat by joining up areas of existing woodland, which will also help reduce ‘run off rate’ and further increase natural flood management.

The scheme forms part of a Natural Environment Research Council project, with support from the JBA Trust and the University of Leeds which includes a funded university doctorate.

The Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust has worked with JBA Consulting on a series of three one metre high bunds that will create three parcels of water during peak flow events.

The idea is to store water for between 24 to 48 hours after a flood, with water gradually seeping back into the river.

The rivers trust is also working with Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority to plant more than eight hectares of woodland surrounding the bunds. It is proposed up to 12,000 native trees will be planted, and a fence will be put up to stop livestock getting in to allow the trees to become established. The Environment Agency has also been involved, to do with the safe passage of fish, and also Natural England.