Heavy rain is turning hillsides into fast-moving landslides, and a new computer model will calculate exactly how many trees it takes to stop them. This matters because deforestation has left many UK slopes vulnerable to soil erosion and landslides, and climate change is making extreme rainfall more frequent. Current defences rely on concrete barriers and retaining walls, but these are expensive and can fail when debris flows are large. The project fills a gap: no existing model can predict how a forest’s collective root system and tree trunks will slow, trap, or redirect a landslide as it moves downhill. If the model works, land managers and policymakers could use it to design reforestation projects that double as natural landslide defences. The research will produce guidelines on planting patterns, tree species, and how to combine forests with traditional structural measures. This could reduce economic losses from landslides, protect critical infrastructure such as roads and power lines, and safeguard vulnerable communities without relying solely on engineered barriers. The project also tracks how a forest’s protective effect changes over time as trees grow, so replanting strategies can be optimised for long-term hazard reduction.
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Rooting for Resilience presents a comprehensive approach to understanding and harnessing the power of forests in mitigating the impact of landslides, particularly those with long runout. The project goal is to develop a numerical and conceptual model that can assess the capacity of forests to counteract the devastating consequences of landslides. By examining the complex interactions between trees and landslides, including the effects of tree failure and the entrainment of woody debris, this innovative framework will enable evaluating the potential for existing forests to minimize hazards, and hence guide effective reforestation and afforestation strategies. The project acknowledges the historical deforestation that has led to significant ecological and infrastructural challenges in the UK and elsewhere. The loss of forest cover has contributed to issues such as soil erosion, flooding, and an increased vulnerability to landslides. With climate change intensifying extreme rainfall events, the threat of landslides has grown, causing disruptions to communities and economic losses. This project recognizes the need for sustainable and nature-based solutions, in place of conventional structural countermeasures. The first part of the project focusses on developing a numerical model that simulates the interaction between landslides and trees, considering tree breakage and the entrainment of large woody debris. This advanced computational approach integrates the Lattice-Boltzmann Method and the Discrete-Element Method, allowing for a multiphase simulation of landslide runout. The research also expands towards a forest-level assessment, involving multiple tree stems, to understand the collective response of forests to landslides. Experimental work on laboratory flumes provides validation data, gathered through an innovative use of high-speed cameras and shape recognition software. The second half of the project upscales the framework to the regional level by creating a depth-averaged numerical model applicable to broader areas. By considering the influence of trees on various rheological parameters, this model will enable a comprehensive hazard assessment that includes forest-mitigation effects. The potential impact of the project will be increased by exploring the time-evolution of mitigation during reforestation projects. Through field-based case studies and numerical simulations, the project aims to develop guidelines to inform optimal strategies for hazard reduction over time, such as planting patterns and integration of forests with more traditional structural mitigation measures. The societal benefits of the Rooting for Resilience project are manyfold. By providing insights into the interaction between forests and landslides, the project offers practical guidelines for policymakers, land managers, and stakeholders involved in hazard mitigation. These guidelines can lead to informed decisions on reforestation and forest management, ultimately contributing to the safety and resilience of vulnerable populations, critical infrastructure, and precious ecosystems. The project outcomes have the potential to significantly reduce economic losses, environmental degradation, and the risk of landslides in the UK and beyond.
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