Transforming Yorkshire’s uplands

A diverse mix of native trees is used to slow the flow of water and restore the peat. © National Trust

Restoring peat and building resilience through natural flood management

Jess Yorke, Carol Prenton

As the impacts of climate change reshape landscapes globally, Yorkshire’s uplands are becoming a testing ground for innovative ecological strategies.

Working across 5,500 hectares of West Yorkshire, the Landscapes for Water partnership between the National Trust and Yorkshire Water has embraced a multi faceted approach to climate resilience. Between 2023 and 2028, our pioneering initiative is planting 300,000 native trees and installing 3,500 leaky dams, with positive implications for biodiversity, carbon storage, and flood mitigation.

Reimagining resilient landscapes

Many South Pennine uplands have been degraded by industrial pollution, overgrazing and fires, which have created areas of dry and exposed peat. When peat is dry, its ability to capture and store carbon from the atmosphere is reduced, and degraded moorland peat can therefore lead to an increase in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases being emitted into the air.

The dried-out peat also increases the likelihood of flooding downstream as the water flows over the hardened surface instead of being absorbed. Leaky dams – constructed from stone, willow, and turf – form a complementary intervention. Designed to slow water flow and retain moisture on the uplands, they mitigate downstream flooding while simultaneously rejuvenating degraded moorland. Creating wetter conditions aims to decrease the dominance of invasive purple moor grass, and instead allows peat-forming plant species such as sphagnum moss and cotton grass to grow. Sphagnum moss can hold 20 times its weight in water, so it has multiple benefits such as creating new peat, reducing wildfire risk (critical in a warming climate), providing a more suitable habitat for breeding moorland birds, and reducing flood risk.

With support from the Lottery-funded Calderdale Sphagnum Project, Rangers at Marsden Moor estate have established their own moorland plant nursery. Here, sphagnum moss and cotton grass are grown and planted out onto the moor alongside a diverse mix of native trees, with the help of the local community and volunteers.

Close collaboration with tenants and commoners has been pivotal. While some initially hesitated, many embraced the project after bespoke land management strategies were developed to align tree planting with commercial interests and Higher Level Stewardship obligations.

The project’s long-term success hinges on continued collaboration, strategic funding, and adaptive management. Support from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the Trees for Climate grant programme underpins its viability. Moreover, these efforts contribute more broadly to the White Rose Forest, a visionary initiative that is transforming the region’s green infrastructure.

Reflecting on year one

While the scope of the Landscapes for Water programme is vast, its early achievements offer a compelling glimpse of what’s possible when ecological stewardship meets community action. As Yorkshire’s uplands transform, the project serves as a model for other regions grappling with the challenges of a changing climate.

Jess Yorke is Land, Outdoors and Nature Project Manager at the National Trust. Carol Prenton is Land and Property Surveyor at Yorkshire Water.