Erosion TTool/Riparian Forest Maintenance
From Triple Performance
The riparian forest corresponds to the vegetation zone that develops on the banks of watercourses. It is a transition zone between the aquatic environment and the terrestrial environment[1].
Description
Advantages
- Bank stabilization via the root system of plants.
- Mitigation of flood severity.
- Protection of the aquatic environment.
- Regulation of vegetation in the watercourse (temperature, shading).
- Filtration of runoff water.
- Creation of habitat and increase of biodiversity.
- Shading for livestock.
Disadvantages
Different types of riparian forest maintenance methods are distinguished:
- "Civil engineering":
- Requires water law procedures (time-consuming).
- Costly.
- "Vegetal engineering":
- Protection against erosion is not immediate and depends on the development time of vegetation.
- Sometimes significant labor required.
Applications
- Rights and duties of the riparian owner: The owner of a watercourse is responsible for maintaining the bank (art. L.215-14 of the Environmental Code) by:
- Pruning and coppicing of tree vegetation.
- Removal of debris jams (any element carried by the water blocked in the riverbed that may cause disruption of water flow).
- Ensuring good bank stability.
- Several maintenance methods:
- Targeted felling of trees that may cause problems (obstruction to flow, non-adapted species, aging or dead individuals).
- Coppicing: Cutting all or part of the shoots from a stump while ensuring its sustainability.
- Pruning: Prevents the formation of debris jams.
- To be avoided: Clear-cutting, maintenance with a brushcutter, chemical weeding.
Advice
- Reasoned maintenance of bank vegetation is the most effective solution against soil erosion.
- Structuring vegetation into several layers (herbaceous, shrubby, arboreal) ensures multiple ecosystem services.
