lt is a well-known fact that vegetation plays an important part in erosion control and that it can limit or even prevent slope-sliding. Plants covering the surface and sending out roots into the ground are able to bind soil particles, to deplete soil moisture and to reinforce the soil.
Combined vegetative-structural stabilization may be the answer in cases where ordinary vegetative stabilization proves inadequate. In order to achieve good and long-lasting results, the specific requirements of the plants have to be taken into consideration and the structural measures have to conform with the whole set-up.
When planning slope treatment, the engineer ought to know quite a lot about the type of slope failure and/or the kind of erosion he is likely to encounter. The slope angle depends on the shear strength of the soil which is influenced by the pore pressure in the ground and may deteriorate in the course of time. Vegetative and combined vegetative-structural measures are most useful methods for combating erosion and slope failures, provided the surface of sliding runs reasonably close and approximately parallel to the ground surface.
The plants, of course, have to be given proper treatment and all the care they need to thrive, to help the engineer in his endeavours and to please the wanderer's eye.