Extreme rainfall and flood events are predicted to increase in frequency and severity as a consequence of anthropogenic climate change. In UK upland areas, historical over‐grazing and associated soil compaction have further exacerbated peak flood levels and flash‐flood risk along many river catchments. As a result, the reinstatement of upland woodland is increasingly seen as a key component of an integrated suite of options forming part of natural flood management (NFM) associated with a 'public money for public goods' approach to European agriculture. Nevertheless, understanding the impact of native woodland establishment on upland soil hydrology remains relatively poor. We compare physical and hydrological properties from the surface soils of establishing woodland and grazed pasture across four flood vulnerable upland headwater catchments in Dartmoor National Park, SW England. We show upland native woodland establishment is a viable soil recovery option, with a doubling of soil saturated hydraulic conductivity, increased 'wetness threshold' and reduced surface soil compaction and bulk density within 15 years of establishment. Our study supports the establishment of native woodland as an effective tool to improve the hydrological functioning of soils in upland pastoral catchments and the provision of flash‐flood mitigation 'ecosystem services'. We caution, however, that land managers and policymakers must consider past and present management, soil type and catchment location when planning new NFM schemes if environmental benefits are to be maximised and 'public money for public goods, are to be commensurate with outcomes.

中文翻译：

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本地林地的建立改善了英国高地牧区的土壤水文功能

预计由于人为气候变化，极端降雨和洪水事件的频率和严重性将增加。在英国高地地区，历史上的过度放牧和相关的土壤压实进一步加剧了许多河流集水区的洪峰水位和山洪暴发风险。结果，恢复高地林地被越来越多地视为一套综合选择方案的关键组成部分，这些选择方案构成了自然洪水管理（NFM）的一部分，与欧洲农业的“公益事业的公共资金”方法相关。然而，了解本土林地对旱地土壤水文学的影响仍然相对较差。我们比较了英格兰西南部达特穆尔国家公园中四个洪灾脆弱的山地上游集水区的林地和放牧牧场表层土壤的物理和水文特性。我们显示，建立高地原生林地是一种可行的土壤恢复方案，在建立后的15年内，土壤饱和水力传导率增加了一倍，“湿度阈值”增加，地表土壤压实度和堆积密度降低。我们的研究支持建立原生林地，作为改善高地牧区流域土壤水文功能的有效工具，并提供减轻洪灾的“生态系统服务”。但是，我们提醒您，土地经理和政策制定者必须考虑过去和现在的管理，