Abstract
The relative merits of slope protection by forestation and by mechanical protection with contour wattles are evaluated for a steep, 17–18°, embankment of coal-briquette spoils, where drought and spoil properties prevent the establishment of ground vegetation. Ground loss, monitored for 6 years by erosion pins, shows that both treatments reduce the development of surface flow pathways. However, inter-rill soil losses are not significantly smaller on the wattle-protected than on the unprotected control slope. By contrast, ground losses under forest (1.9 mm year −1) are significantly smaller than on either the unprotected slope (7.0 mm year −1) or that protected by wattles (6.2 mm year −1). Ground losses from sites with >20% leaf litter cover average 0.54 mm year −1 and never exceed 3.5 mm year −1.
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