The selection criteria of the erosion protection layer depends on soil type, slope gradient, rainfall intensity and duration of protection. Short term protection can be in the form of biodegradable mats or weed inhibiting mats to protect seed and young plants during the early plant germination and development phase. The requirement for the surface protection diminishes once the plant root system has created a permanent structure within the soil, which is typically within a period of 1 to 2 years after planting.

Where grasses are being considered for slopes through seeding or hydroseeding methods then the use of a coir fibre blanket laid over the seeded slope can protects the seed and young plants from wind and rain erosion.

Denser wool blankets are used to protect plug planted slopes until adequate establishment of root mass. These blankets have the added benefit of adding nutritional benefit to the plants as the mat breaks down.

To maintain a fully biodegradable solution Maccaferri offers a biodegradable peg used to hold down both coir fibre and wool based mats. These pegs are manufactured from natural eco-friendly material into a form that easily penetrates most soil types with minimal damage and once in place provides a high level of anchorage.