Evaluation of Pine Mulch with Compost as a New Erosion and Sediment Control Product for Construction Activities

Overabundance of fiber from young trees derived from first thinnings with little or no market is a serious problem for the timber industry as well as private landowners. Because of this, many private landowners fail to conduct appropriate timber management which in turn causes reductions in stand volume, increased risk of insect and/or disease from reduced stand vigor, reduced browse for wildlife and loss of income. Meanwhile, construction companies, mining industries, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are dealing with erosion issues on both a local and national level. This project addresses the further development of using wood chips from first pine thinnings as a mulch material mixed 2:1 compost/mulch) for a superior erosion control product to traditional industry standards. This research will explore improving the erosion control performance and determining limitations of the 2:1 compost/mulch blanket, expanding the market potential and applications for the new product and developing new evaluation and design tools to allow engineers, landscape architects and erosion control plan writers to easily adopt this new technology.