Reclamation isn’t just about Green- It’s about smart economics
🌱 Reclamation Isn’t Just About Green — It’s About Smart Economics 💰
Choosing the right erosion control and revegetation method can make or break your schedule, your budget, and your compliance targets. After years working across pipeline, mining, and civil projects in Western Canada, here’s what we’ve learned:
🔹 HYDROMULCH OPTIONS
🌲 Wood Fiber Mulch
✅ Entry-level, cost-effective
❌ Limited hold on slopes or poor weather
🟢 ProMatrix
✅ Stronger bond and moisture retention
✅ Good for disturbed, moderate-risk areas
❌ Mid-range material cost
🟩 Flexterra (HP-FGM)
✅ Top-tier erosion control
✅ Holds through heavy rain, wind, and steep slopes
❌ Higher cost — but fewer reapplications
🌿 ProGanics Biotic Soil Media
✅ Replaces topsoil in remote/depleted areas
✅ Improves germination and long-term growth
✅ Spray-applied by hydroseeder (truck or heli)
✅ No trucking, grading, or heavy equipment required
❌ Slightly higher material cost than mulch — but major savings overall
💰 COST SAVINGS: ProGanics vs. Trucked Topsoil (per hectare)
Topsoil haul + dozer placement: $15,000–$30,000+
ProGanics full install: ~$6,000–$10,000
Savings: Up to 60%+
Plus:
✅ Lower GHG emissions
✅ Faster install
✅ Better performance on poor soils
🔸 TACKIFIERS
🧪 Guar Gum
✅ Affordable
❌ Breaks down fast in heavy rain
🌍 EcoAnchor
✅ Stronger bond, better for slopes and wind
✅ Eco-safe and non-toxic
❌ Slightly more expensive but worth it on steeper ground
💡 Best mid-range combo = ProMatrix + EcoAnchor
✈️ SEEDING METHODS
🚜 Drill Seeding
✅ Excellent seed-to-soil contact
✅ High germination
❌ Limited to flat, accessible terrain
🚁 Heli Seeding + Hydromulch
✅ Fast for large, remote, or steep terrain
✅ Great when paired with Flexterra or ProGanics
✅ Lower labour cost in remote zones
❌ Needs proper mulch/tackifier to avoid seed loss
Why pay the premium for helicopter seeding only to leave your seed unprotected?
Without a bonded fiber matrix or soil media, most of that investment is gone with the first rainfall or windstorm.
🚜 DUST CONTROL & ROAD STABILIZATION
Still spraying water on haul roads and expecting results?
You might as well light your water truck budget on fire.
Here’s why:
Water evaporates fast — especially in heat and wind
It provides zero structural improvement
It requires constant reapplication
It does nothing for long-term dust suppression
✅ EcoAnchor and EcoHaul provide real results:
Bond particles together to reduce dust lift
Strengthen road surface integrity
Reduce watering frequency by 80–90%
Minimize maintenance grading
Reduce tire wear and equipment cost
Polymer-based stabilizers are engineered to lock in fines, hold the surface together, and keep your haul roads drivable, safer, and compliant — especially in dry, remote, or high-traffic conditions.
🧵 HYDROMULCH vs. EROSION CONTROL BLANKETS
Factor
Hydromulch
Erosion Blanket
Labor
2–3 crew spraying
6–8 crew handling rolls
Speed
2–5 ha/day
0.5–1 ha/day
Safety
Low risk spraying
Manual slope work
Install Cost
Moderate
High (labour & material)
Performance
Strong (Flexterra)
Only if perfectly installed
Risk of Rework
Low
High if wind or water lift it
⚠️ The Cost of Cutting Corners
Site failures can cost 3–5x more than doing it right the first time. From sediment control fines to complete rework, it adds up fast.
💡 Cheap upfront doesn’t mean cheaper in the long run.
Right product + Right application = Slope stays stable, seed grows, and your access roads stay safe and compliant.
If you’re bidding or building on remote, steep, or difficult ground, we can help spec a smart, cost-effective erosion control and road stabilization plan. Done right, the first time.
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