It was only last year when California was an unfortunate victim of the biggest wildfires in its history, as the destructive fires burned 1.3 million acres of land and about 10,000 structures in different counties statewide. Experts were left stunned at the extent of damage these fires caused. Deeming it as THE period when Hephaestus raged at his absolute fury on the Golden State of America.
Little did they know that the worst was yet to come.
What started from July onwards of year 2018, a series of wildfires has since broken out in the state of California.
And if statistics are to be believed, these latest wildfires are on the track to be THE actual worst in the history of California. Officials claim these fires won’t be contained until September.
In fact, it’s not only in the state of California that the incidents of wildfires (and the severity of these incidents) have increased; many other western states have their own fire-burnt tales to share.
Experts believe we are living in the era of mega fires and it’s “the new normal” in the evolutionary battle of survival where once again the fittest and most adaptive will survive.
Plenty has been said about the destruction these wildfires bring, mostly in the context of loss of human lives, agricultural land and properties and structures. But very rarely do we hear people discuss the other devastating side to these wildfires… the accelerated soil erosion and mudslides that follow.
Wildfires cause accelerated soil erosion. Trees get burnt down; vegetation is eradicated from the surface of earth. All these provide a solid anchorage to the earth’s soil layer. In their absence, soil is left vulnerable to the forces of nature. What makes the situation even worse, is the now changed properties of soil that becomes harder, unable to absorb water the way it should normally do.
With every blow of the wind and every downpour, the soil falls fast and heavy – sometimes in local watersheds and sometimes in local communities in the form of mudslides.
When it falls in the watersheds, it poses immediate danger to the survival of aquatic organisms living in streams, lakes and rivers. When it falls in local communities, it’s a threat to human lives. And these are only short-term negative impacts of soil erosion; the long-term impacts are well known to all.
This brings us to the question:
What can we do to stop accelerated soil erosion and mudslides post-wildfires?
Sadly, we can’t stop them—Who has ever won fighting the nature? But surely, we can minimize
Thanks to the advancements in soil erosion control technology, there are a number of natural solutions available in market that you can use to minimize soil erosion and prevent mudslides. These include:
- Erosion control blankets and mats– You can use them to cover burned areas to protect against runoffs as well as to promote natural vegetation growth in fire-affected areas.
- Coir wattles and coir logs– You can install them at top and the bottom of slopes or hills to slow down the velocity of a run-off and thus prevent sediments from travelling farther.
The damage we have caused to planet Earth with our activities is irreversible. And honestly speaking, there’s nothing much we can do to stop wildfires and other natural disasters that are the results of this damage. But there’s still so many things we can do to control and minimize the devastations caused by these disasters.
If you are looking for high quality soil erosion control products or other preservation solutions, feel free to check out our online store for a wide range of products.