As winter sets in, slopes across live sites may have challenging environmental conditions. While many projects slow down during the colder months, rainfall and snowmelt cycles don’t, they can quickly compromise slope stability if not properly managed effecting and delaying the project.
Winter: the hidden erosion season
Winter erosion is often underestimated. Repeated freeze–thaw cycles break down soil structure, reducing cohesion and increasing the risk of slippage. Combined with saturated ground and limited vegetation cover, even gentle slopes can experience surface washouts or shallow slips. Once soil begins to move, the damage can spread fast, clogging drainage systems, contaminating runoff, and undermining structural integrity. Ensuring you have your erosion control measures in place is vital before the winter months.
Before winter weather intensifies, inspect drainage infrastructure thoroughly. Clean out channels, swales, and culverts to prevent blockages, and confirm that outfalls are stabilised with riprap or energy dissipation measures. Surface water should always be diverted away from vulnerable slopes to minimise hydrostatic pressure and potential failure.
Surface protection that works for your application
Effective erosion control starts with choosing the right surface protection for your site conditions.
For exposed soils on embankments that require immediate surface stabilisation, we recommends installing erosion control blankets or coir/jute netting, followed by hydroseeding to encourage vegetation growth and naturally bind the soil. These biodegradable systems provide quick protection while supporting long-term slope stabilisation and sustainability.
On steep or unstable slopes, an anchored system offers reliable soil reinforcement and long-term stability. Designed to resist movement and surface erosion, these systems are ideal where additional structural strength is needed.
For watercourse and drainage applications, we commonly specifies rock rolls, coir rolls, gabions, gabion mattresses, and rip rap. These durable, permanent solutions deliver proven performance for riverbank protection, scour control, and channel stabilisation, ensuring long-lasting erosion resistance in challenging environments.
Whether you’re working on a new infrastructure project or restoring a natural landscape, we provide sustainable, high-performance erosion control systems tailored to your application.
Plan ahead for vegetation recovery
Winter may bring a pause to visible plant growth, but it’s actually the perfect time to plan ahead for stronger, more resilient slopes. Dormant seeding allows you to sow seeds during the colder months so they remain protected in the soil, ready to germinate as soon as temperatures begin to rise.
By choosing hardy, fast-establishing species, you give your site a head start for the growing season. As these plants take root early, they help stabilise the soil, reduce erosion risk, and cut down on the need for maintenance or costly repairs later in the year.
So while the landscape may look dormant now, your slopes can already be getting ready for spring growth, setting the foundation for long-term erosion control and natural stability.
Integrated protection for sustainable results
Effective slope protection doesn’t work in isolation, it’s most successful when integrated into a well-considered stormwater management plan. By thinking holistically about how water moves across your site, you can reduce erosion risks, improve drainage performance and enhance the long-term resilience of your landscape.
Incorporating detention basins and vegetated swales helps to slow down surface runoff, allowing water to infiltrate naturally into the ground rather than accelerating across exposed slopes. This not only reduces the erosive forces acting on the slope face but also promotes groundwater recharge and supports surrounding vegetation.
We understand that every site has unique challenges. Our team provides end-to-end support, from initial design and product selection through to installation and maintenance, ensuring your slope protection and stormwater systems work together seamlessly. The result is a sustainable, stable, and environmentally responsible solution that stands the test of time.