Erosion is a big problem for landowners. It wreaks havoc on fertile land by stripping away the topsoil that supports farming. Plus, eroded soil, which often contains chemicals like fertilizers and pesticides, eventually washes into water sources, causing pollution. Fortunately, there are numerous ways of mitigating soil erosion and its effects. If you want to know more about erosion control, this piece is for you.
What Is Erosion Control?
Erosion control refers to the process of preventing erosion agents like water or wind from detaching, transporting, and redepositing fertile topsoil. The main types of erosion include sheet, rill, wind, gully, and ephemeral. Every landowner incorporating erosion control strategies plays a significant role in preventing water pollution, property damage, and wildlife habitat loss.
Common Erosion Control Methods
Erosion control experts help you prevent soil erosion using the following effective techniques:
1. Mulching
Mulching involves using dry vegetative materials like crop residues, leaves, sawdust, and straw to mitigate soil erosion. Erosion control technicians mostly install these materials around young crop plants before and after planting because it's very effective in reducing erosion, suppressing weed growth, retaining moisture, preventing evaporation, and providing essential nutrients after decomposition. Moreover, mulching is also an ideal erosion control solution for homeowners with smaller gardening areas on their property.
2. Reforestation
Trees are incredibly effective in halting erosion. They do that by holding soil particles together with their roots and improving water filtration. That is why environmental experts constantly recommend afforestation. Plus, since human activities such as deforestation, lumber harvesting, and logging have led to acute thinning of forests in this modern era, reforestation is the only way to avoid catastrophic consequences. To put it simply, if you want to stop soil erosion and degradation and protect the environment you live in, seek an expert well-versed in planting and interspersing trees for optimized erosion control results.
3. Riprap
Riprap refers to a resistant ground cover composed of boulders, cobbles, or angular stone. It is primarily designed to armor and stabilize soil surfaces, thereby protecting areas like stream banks, slopes, and channels from erosion. Soil erosion experts consider it to be one of the best erosion control methods for surfaces susceptible to erosion from wave action.
4. Terracing
Terracing involves constructing unique ridged platforms known as terraces on hills and farmlands. These terraces facilitate the conversion of hills into farmlands. They also help you rearrange farmland whenever there's a need to improve its use. Terracing on sloping land also plays a vital role in preventing excessive rainfall runoff from accumulating and causing extensive soil erosion.