After California’s 2013 Rim Fire devastated more than 257,000 acres near Yosemite National Park, Selby’s Soil Erosion Control and Profile Products rehabilitated a 17-mile stretch of State Route 120 using Hydro-Blanket® Bonded Fiber Matrix. Working on steep, severely burned slopes with undersized culverts and high debris-flow risk, crews hydraulically applied Hydro-Blanket BFM—“a blanket in a tank”—up to 200 feet up and down roadside slopes, stabilizing 5–10 acres per day. The recycled wood-fiber matrix forms a breathable, biodegradable blanket that helps control erosion and supports vegetation establishment. The project delivered zero slope failures, no significant mudslides or flooding, and came in under budget.
Key Points
- A hunter’s illegal fire sparked the Rim Fire, the third largest forest fire in California history, burning more than 257,000 acres across 402 square miles and causing more than $127 million in damage.
- Selby’s Soil Erosion Control hydroseeded a 17-mile stretch of State Route 120 with Hydro-Blanket® Bonded Fiber Matrix, spraying up to 200′ up and down the slopes and stabilizing 5–10 acres per day.
- Hydro-Blanket BFM sprays on as mulch, dries to a breathable blanket that bonds with the soil, combines 100% recycled Thermally Refined® wood fiber and polysaccharide-based tackifiers, and tests prove it is 95% effective at controlling erosion on steep slopes.
- Coir netting, rip rap, trash and debris racks, check dams, and erosion control blankets further protected culvert inlets, contributing to zero slope failures, no significant mudslides or roadside flooding, and smooth travel for Yosemite-bound tourists.
