More than 11,000 new trees will help boost the health of the River Ribble in Lancashire, UK.

The Ribble Rivers Trust is creating new woodlands at Sabden, Samlesbury, and the Forest of Bowland. Covering nine hectares, the woodlands will form the first part of the Valuing Ribble’s Water Woods project, which focuses on reducing phosphate run-off into waterways.

Not only does phosphate pollution cause harmful blue-green algal blooms, it can also reduce oxygen levels in the water, affecting breathing in the creatures that live there. The new trees will also provide shade and shelter for watercourses, homes for wildlife, and help to mitigate flood risk, amongst other benefits.

The project is being funded by United Utilities as part of the water company’s Catchment Systems Thinking (CaST) approach, which promotes a holistic approach to managing the company’s catchment land. Reducing phosphate levels in river catchments will provide an additional benefit for the utility by reducing the amount of phosphate removal required in water treatment processes, in turn reducing the energy and carbon associated with these mechanised systems.

Both Ribble Rivers Trust and United Utilities are closely observing the sites to assess the effect tree planting is having on water quality. Before and after data is being gathered at all three woodlands to enable various metrics to be monitored and the benefits to be better understood.

This will help both organisations develop future strategies for tree planting and whether it can be scaled up to deliver large scale, catchment-wide benefits to water quality and the wider environment.

James Airton, natural capital strategy manager for United Utilities said: “It’s great to see Ribble Rivers Trust making progress with this project thanks to funding from our CaST account.

“Driving nature-based solutions and the multiple benefits they can deliver is a key element of our catchment systems thinking approach and woodland creation can play an important part in helping the eco-system in waterways. We look forward to seeing these woodlands flourishing in the years to come."

Jack Spees of Ribble Rivers Trust added: “Trees provide many benefits, from carbon capture to improving air quality for local communities, but it is often overlooked how much they benefit water; providing shade, slowing the flow and reducing nutrients that enter our rivers and streams.

“Working with partners we are seeking to substantially increase woodland cover in prioritised locations that provide the most benefit to people and wildlife.”

It is hoped that, in time, the project will show a reduction in phosphate levels in soils and watercourses and an increase in the variety and numbers of species calling these spaces their homes.