Method for inhibiting shore erosion

Abstract

A method for inhibiting erosion at a coastal location includes inducing coastal vegetation to take root in a site-compatible mat including a biodegradable mat combined at most with fertilizer, sand, and/or soil. After the coastal vegetation has taken root in the site-compatible mat, the mat is placed on the coastal location, and the coastal vegetation is allowed to take root as the biodegradable mat decomposes. In embodiments, the coastal location can be a flat area of sand, or a constructed or naturally occurring sand dune. The site-compatible mat can include fertilizer and/or coir, which can be brown coir. The mat can include and/or be covered by sand or soil having a composition that is substantially equivalent to sand or soil that is indigenous to the coastal location. Bird roosting stakes can be planted through the mat.

Claims

1. A method for inhibiting erosion at a coastal location, the method comprising: providing a site-compatible biodegradable mat, wherein said mat does not include any elements that would introduce a permanent, artificial structure into the coastal location; inducing costal vegetation to take root exclusively in the site-compatible mat, so that the vegetation extends upward from the site-compatible mat; after the coastal vegetation has taken root in the site-compatible mat, placing the site-compatible mat unrolled and substantially flat on the costal location; and allowing the coastal vegetation to take root in the costal location as the biodegradable mat decomposes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the coastal location is substantially flat.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the coastal location is an area of sand.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the coastal location is a constructed or naturally occurring sand dune.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the biodegradable mat includes coir.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the biodegradable mat includes brown coir.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the coastal vegetation is sea grass.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein fertilizer is included in the site-compatible mat.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising planting at least one bird roosting stake through the biodegradable mat at the coastal location, so that birds will provide natural fertilizer to the vegetation.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of sand and soil is included in the site-compatible mat, the included at least one of sand and soil having a composition that is substantially equivalent to sand or soil that is indigenous to the coastal location.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising covering the biodegradable mat with a layer of sand or soil.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the site-compatible mat consists only of a biodegradable mat, combined at most with fertilizer.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a top view of coir fiber webbing;

(2) FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention showing a coir sod mat, with mature sea grass extending therefrom, the sod mat being positioned over a sand dune;

(3) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, showing the mat placed on the dune and conformed to the shape of the dune;

(4) FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention showing the dune with sea grass growing, after the fibrous material and fertilizer have degraded and been absorbed; and

(5) FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps of an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(6) The present invention is a method for introducing self-sustaining, shoreline-tolerant vegetation to coastal areas, so as to minimize the impact of erosion on the shoreline and its ecosystem. With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, an eco-friendly sod mat 200 is prepared by allowing shoreline-tolerant vegetation 202 to sprout and take root in a biodegradable mat 100 under controlled conditions. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the mat is made from coir, and in the embodiment of FIG. 2, the vegetation 200 is sea grass. When the vegetation 202 is sufficiently mature to be self-sustaining, the sod mat 100 is transferred to the shoreline, where in some embodiments it is draped over a sand dune 204, as illustrated in FIG. 3. The sand dune 204 can be either a naturally occurring sand dune or a man-made dune.

(7) In some embodiments, fertilizer is included with the mat. In other embodiments, bird roosting stakes 300 are planted with the sod mat 200 so as to encourage birds to roost over the sod mat 200 and to provide natural fertilizer to the vegetation 202.

(8) As the vegetation takes root in the underlying sand, the biodegradable mat 100 slowly degrades and is absorbed non-destructively into the environment. As is illustrated in FIG. 4, the firmly established vegetation 202 is left behind to provide self-sustaining erosion control without human maintenance. If roosting stakes 300 are included, they can be removed once the vegetation 204 is well established, or they can be allowed to remain as an ongoing benefit to the local birds.

(9) FIG. 5 is a flow diagram that illustrates an embodiment of the present invention. First, a biodegradable mat is provided 500, which in this embodiment is a coir mat. Sand and/or soil can be included with the mat 502, where the sand and/or soil is similar to the sand and/or soil that is found at the coastal site, or at least has properties such as pH and grain size that are similar to the sand and/or soil at the coastal site. Coastal vegetation is then incorporated into the mat 504, either by allowing seeds to sprout in the sand and/or soil within the mat, or by first sprouting the vegetation and then transplanting it into the mat. As the vegetation takes root in the sand and/or soil included with the mat 506, it becomes acclimated to the specific properties of the sand and/or soil, and so it more likely to thrive when it ultimately takes root at the coastal site.

(10) At some point, a specific coastal site is chosen for conservation. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, a sand dune is constructed at the site 508. In other embodiments, an existing dune is selected, or a substantially flat region of sand and/or soil is selected. The mat with the vegetation is then placed on the selected site 510. It may simply be placed on top of the site, or buried under a thin layer of sand and/or soil, so long as the vegetation is sufficiently exposed. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, bird-roosting stakes are then inserted through the mat and into the underlying sand and/or soil 512. As birds take opportunistic advantage of the stakes, they naturally supply fertilizer to the vegetation.

(11) The foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of this disclosure. It is intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by the claims appended hereto.