Natural Flood Management is the use of natural processes to alleviate the risk of flooding.

Willow can be used in 3 ways;

The planting of buffer strips along water courses increasing the surface roughness of the flood plain, slowing the flow of flood water downstream. as well as increasing infiltration of the water into the soil, retaining top soil and reducing the movement of nitrates and phosphates into the watercourse. See link

Damming Upland drainage channels, using living willow faggots and the surrounding peat or soil (Beaver analogue Dams), creating long lasting (they grow) dams that slow water flow in the upland reaches of River catchments. See Link

Using Living Willow to reinforce deadwood dams in wooded areas of River catchments, the willow is pushed into the surrounding soil and woven into the deadwood dam. See link