The city of Mentor, Ohio, is considering repurposing downed trees for erosion control purposes. The city has lost up to 6 acres of Lake Erie shoreline in the last dozen years and is seeking a cost-effective solution to their dwindling shoreline.
In December, the city received a $7,500 grant from the Lake Erie Protection Fund to research natural erosion control methods. Now the city is in the process of applying for an Ohio Department of Natural Resources Coastal Management Access grant to make the project a reality.
The project would involve repurposing trees fallen along the Lake Erie shoreline to create an erosion barrier that would be anchored along the Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve. Councilman Sean Blake praised the erosion control method to local news source the News-Herald.
“This is such a great idea, because we’ve got those materials laying there,” said Councilman Blake, “We gather them up, which cleans the beach and makes it look more pristine, and we use that to prevent further erosion.”
