WWNP Floodplain Woodland Potential: Planting Sites in England

WWNP Floodplain Woodland Planting Potential is a geospatial dataset produced by the Environment Agency's Mapping Potential for Working with Natural Processes project (SC150005). It identifies areas within England's fluvial Flood Zone 2 where planting trees on the floodplain may be possible and effective for flood attenuation. The dataset is indicative, based on modelled flood data with areas erased for existing constraints like woodland, watercourses, peat, roads, rail, and urban locations.

Use Cases

• Identifying candidate sites for floodplain woodland planting based on fluvial flood zones.
• Screening potential project areas by removing constrained land like existing woodland and urban areas.
• Supporting strategic planning for Working with Natural Processes (WWNP) interventions.
• Prioritizing land for environmental schemes aimed at runoff attenuation.

Strengths

• Produced by the authoritative Environment Agency as part of a formal research project (SC150005).
• Integrates multiple open data constraints (woodland, watercourses, peat, infrastructure) to refine potential sites.
• Available on multiple data platforms, indicating established use and importance.

Limitations

• Metadata is incomplete; column names, row counts, and specific license details are not provided by any source.
• Data is modelled and indicative; it does not consider land ownership, recent land use changes, or detailed flood risk impacts.
• One platform lists a future 'last updated' date (2026-04-07), which is a conflict and suggests potential metadata error.

Provenance

Source

Environment Agency, United Kingdom.

Collection Method

Modelled using fluvial Flood Zone 2 data from the Flood Map for Planning, with constraint data used to erase unsuitable areas.

Freshness

Last updated date conflicts; one source lists 2026-04-07 (a future date), others list none.

Geography

England.