How to Use Trees to Prevent Erosion

Examine the piece of land that you're planning to protect for the areas most susceptible to erosion. Search in particular for stretches of open land where there are no wind blocks present, such as buildings, or for large sloping areas.

Examine the area for signs of previous erosion. Bare spots of soil without plant life, gullies running across your property, or piles of soil and debris at the base of slopes of hills are obvious signs.

Plant trees throughout the trouble prone open areas to both hold the soil intact and to provide windbreaks that prevent winds from blowing away topsoil. Use trees that are at least 5 feet high to provide instant protection for the soil. Use a shovel to dig holes for your trees that are three times the diameter of the tree's root ball and deep enough so when you set the root into the hole the surface is even with the previous surface line around the tree trunk. Slightly spread the roots then place the roots into the hole. Cover with dirt, water until damp then place a 2-inch layer of mulch over the root system beginning 6 inches from the trunk. Position the trees so they're just far enough apart to grow to full size without interfering with one another.

Plant trees surrounding the entire property to create a secondary windbreak layer. This tree line, while not as effective as direct intervention in the erosion-prone areas, still assists by breaking the wind gusts as they reach your property, lessening the amount of wind that the trees contained in the actual erosion area have to face.