Coastal erosion is a damaging condition caused by both natural events and human interference that wears away rocks, soils, and sands along the coastline, affecting natural habitats and wildlife. According to the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit coastal erosion causes $550 million per year in property loss in the United States, including damage to infrastructure and loss of land. In addition to beaches and properties, more than 80,000 acres of coastal wetlands are lost annually.
There are several methods to prevent and reduce coastal erosion. Man-made structures like seawalls and bulkheads use concrete, vinyl, and wood to build protective walls that block and reflect wave energy and reduce the amount of shoreline being washed away. Living shorelines are nature-based solutions that use plantings, natural materials, and other structures to absorb wave energy and strengthen and protect the shoreline’s natural defenses to erosion, such as vegetated slopes, marshes, and oyster reefs.
Diving Into Living Shorelines
While traditional living shoreline materials were more environmentally friendly than hardened structures, the plastic net bags used to hold the oyster shells were problematic for local wildlife and habitat health. Native Shorelines, a Davey company, responded to the need for a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly option by combining cement, limestone marl, and recycled oyster shell to make a proprietary blend of concrete. Using this concrete blend of pure calcium carbonate in their various patent pending shapes of blocks/reef structures is key to creating their proprietary QuickReef® system.
Since December 2021, landowners, developers, state and federal parks, coastal resorts, marinas, and other coastal landowners have used QuickReef® to reduce the energy from waves and boat wakes that cause erosion along the coast while providing a habitat for fish, blue crabs, oysters, and other aquatic life. Because of the product’s construction and the ability to install QuickReef® in unique arrangements, the system mimics naturally occurring shorelines and oyster reefs, encouraging oysters, mussels, clams, and barnacles to attach to it which creates a stronger structure over time.
Shoring Up New Solutions
To date, Native Shorelines has installed over 29,000 linear feet of QuickReef® in coastal North Carolina and Virginia. In April 2024, QuickReef® received its first patent for the unique arrangement of the materials used to create the system. This arrangement reduces and absorbs wave energy while creating instant habitat for marine species. QuickReef® has also undergone rigorous engineering testing for structural integrity. Native Shorelines has recently been selected as a partner for the Network for Engineering with Nature (N-EWN), an organization started in 2019 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the University of Georgia to bring together researchers, practitioners, and educators to advance natural and nature-based infrastructure solutions, such as living shorelines.
Davey Resource Group consistently innovates with multi-faceted solutions that meet clients’ goals. QuickReef® is an adaptable solution that uses man-made and naturally occurring materials to create cost-effective and sustainable erosion control for any shoreline. To learn more about coastal shoreline erosion solutions, contact your local Davey Resource Group office.
To see QuickReef® and Native Shorelines in action at Hammocks Beach State Park in North Carolina, view this video.
Article Contributors:
Worth Creech, Area Manager, Native Shorelines
Mary-Margaret McKinney, Area Manager, Native Shorelines
