Patent ID: 7249916

Claim:
A method of site preparation in environmentally sensitive areas, the method comprising the steps of: determining boundaries of a site in an environmentally sensitive area that is to be used as a work site with minimal disturbance of soil and flora and then restored to its original condition; removing obstacles, if any, from within the boundaries of the site; laying a layer of interlocking wood fibre on the site, the interlocking wood fiber including: at least 20% by volume of medium length elongate wood fiber of a length of not less than 2 inches and not more than 5 inches; not more than 10% by volume of long length elongate wood fiber of a length of greater than 5 inches; a balance of short length wood fiber of a length of less than 2 inches; packing down the layer to form a cohesive ground cover mat over soil and flora; and repeating the steps of laying a layer of interlocking wood fibre on the site and packing down the layer to increase a thickness of the cohesive ground cover mat, until a hard packed base of at least six inches in depth has been formed; and restoring the site by removing from the site for disposal any contaminated wood fiber and scattering uncontaminated wood fiber on lands surrounding the site, the uncontaminated wood fiber being scattered sufficiently that they will break down and decompose over a reasonable time by natural processes.