Challenges of Soil Erosion
- Maintaining ground cover across regions that often suffer soil erosion can become a constant challenge. Ground cover plants, shrubs with extensive root systems, a well-planted meadow or pasture, can all help significantly reduce or eliminate soil erosion. Regions that have suffered constant soil erosion from wind and water lack sufficient top soil or suffer nutritional difficulties.
Growing plant life in such areas becomes challenging or impossible. Without adequate topsoil surface, most plants cannot form a sufficient root system to maintain life. Restoring topsoil and washed away nutrients becomes a requirement before growing plants. - Preventing soil erosion in an area that has suffered fire damage can prove difficult. Wildfires can quickly destroy an area's vegetative cover and make it vulnerable to rapid soil erosion. The high heat produced by a wildfire also makes the soil repel water which causes it to become more susceptible to wind erosion.
New vegetative growth has a hard time growing in such conditions. Landowners must act swiftly after a fire to successfully prevent soil erosion. Promptly cutting down fire-damaged trees will help create a barrier and dam to slow erosion. Laying down a layer of straw and rapidly reseeding the region will also help reduce erosion. - Homeowners should avoid removing excessive plants, shrubs and trees from the landscape. Rapid removal can accelerate soil erosion. They should rapidly undertake defensive measures to ensure that soil erosion does not become severe if the area has suffered a rapid loss of vegetation. This includes laying down a covering of mulch to help protect the top soil. Mulch will help the soil retain water which will prevent wind erosion. Consider digging or installing diversion ditches to move excessive rainfall away from the top soil. Replant the area with soil stabilizing plant choices that have a dense root system to secure the region.
- Soil erosion can become more pronounced in agricultural land that continuously sustains row crops, such as corn. The farmer must seriously consider rotating crops to prevent the top soil loss. Planting hay or pasture crops will help preserve the area. Utilizing a mulch tiller in the fall will reduce soil erosion by 40 percent, according to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Strip crop planting, a process where hay and grain are in strips across a slope will also reduce erosion, as will planting trees along fields to form a windbreak.
