ILMINSTER AREA NEWS: New trees at Dillington Estate will help with flood prevention

THOUSANDS of new trees being planted on a fairly steep section of land on the Dillington Estate near Ilminster will help with future flood prevention work in the area.

The work is being part-funded by the Somerset Rivers Authority with the creation of ten acres of new woodland in the catchment of the River Isle, which feeds into the River Parrett.

The land on Ewen Cameron’s estate at Dillington will no longer be used for grazing, but instead be planted with a mix of 6,000 native broadleaf trees – set about six-feet apart – so as to provide denser cover than usual and slow the flow of water from slope to valley stream.

The land features on a map of “flow pathways” – places where water is known to run during times of heavy rainfall. Trees can intercept or interrupt these pathways.

Lord Cameron said: “This is part of the catchment of the River Isle, it’s a small little bowl that runs into the River Isle, and clearly if you get a lot of rain, trees are far better at stopping the flow of water rushing down into the stream, rushing into the River Isle and into the Parrett, causing the flooding we’ve had recently, so if we can plant the trees, is slows the water down, and that’s what we are trying to achieve.”

The scheme is mostly being funded by the Forestry Commission, under a new Countryside Stewardship scheme, but the SRA has contributed nine per cent of the cost so as to maximise the flood reduction benefits.”

Somerset Rivers Authority chairman, Cllr John Osman, added: “During the flooding crisis a lot of people criticised work which wasn’t done 20 years ago such as dredging, so planning for the future now is important.

“This is something which is fairly low-cost, it’s good for the environment and it will play a critical part if we can replicate this kind of scheme around the county.”

Trees planted at Dillington include oaks, evergreens for winter cover, thorns and cherries for blossom in the spring, plus Scots pines.

PHOTO – TOP: Cllr John Osman, left, chairman of the Somerset Rivers Authority, and Lord Cameron of Dillington with some of the trees which are being planted on the estate.

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