Woodlands which help prevent flooding are worth around £100 million to Scotland, new research has found.

The ability of trees to reduce flood risk is becoming increasingly important due to the prospect of wetter winters and more intense rainfall in the summer months.

A study – Revised valuation of flood regulation services of existing forest cover to inform natural capital accounts – was jointly funded by Scottish Forestry, the Forestry Commission and the Welsh Government, and it estimates the capacity of woodlands to store water and slow down run-off water to downstream communities after heavy rain is worth almost £100 million to Scotland.

Experts say putting a monetary value on this “ecosystem service” helps flooding authorities better understand the true savings that woodlands are making in reducing flooding.

Pat Snowdon, head of economics and woodland carbon code at Scottish Forestry, commissioned the study, which was led by Forest Research.

He said: “Climate change is bringing many global challenges. Our weather patterns are changing and we can expect wetter winters and more intense rain in summer. This brings the very unwelcome risk of more flooding.

“Woodlands have long been associated with an ability to reduce flooding. The latest models allow researchers to quantify how woodlands create a ‘sponge’ effect, reducing rapid run-off that causes flooding.

“This research provides new data that fills a major evidence gap on the economic value of woodlands.”

The research by an interdisciplinary team at Forest Research was led by Tom Nisbet, with assistance from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.