Welcome to the first issue of Geoturf Enews. If you are anything like me, you may be reluctant to receive another newsletter trying to sell you something. I can’t blame you! That is not our intent.

As a leading Michigan based distributor of professional, construction, turf and landscape materials for over 25 years, we have grown by being the knowledge base in our industry. Industry training classes presented through our “Geoturf University” is just one example of how we educate and inform. We truly believe that the more knowledge we provide; the more productive and successful our customers will be. That is our primary goal!

I encourage you to take 5 minutes and surf through this first issue or visit us at www.geoturf.com and see how we can help. If you do not like or need what you see, simply scroll down to the bottom and unsubscribe. I am willing to bet that in these challenging market conditions, you will appreciate the information and gain useful knowledge.

Donn Ellis, President

Tenax™ Geogrids are high performance extruded polymeric products designed to confine and interlock fill material for soft soil stabilization and base reinforcement applications. Tenax™ Geogrids are available in three multilayer styles: Tenax™ MS 220B (2 layers), MS 330 (3 layers), and MS 550 (5 layers), with the increased number of layers corresponding to increases in strength and reinforcement capabilities. All styles are composed of layers of high strength extruded biaxially oriented polypropylene mesh that are rolled and stitched together without superimposing the meshes, creating a geogrid with random sized apertures.

Tenax™ Geogrids are used in soft soil stabilization applications to help facilitate the more efficient and predictable stabilization of poor soils. By incorporating a tensile element in poor-in-tension soils, such as fine-grained or poor quality materials, the engineering properties of the soil can be greatly improved. The greater number of tensile elements per unit

In roadway base reinforcement applications, geogrids are used to provide reinforcement and confinement to base course materials. By incorporating Tenax™ MS series geogrids, the required thickness of granular fill material can be reduced by up to 30%. The greater number of tensile elements translates to better interlock with surrounding fill material. Tenax™ MS Geogrids also distribute applied wheel loads over a greater area reducing vertical pressure on the subgrade, allowing for longer design life compared with a similar unreinforced section.

What is ScourStop™ Transition Mat? ScourStop™ Transition Mat is a new, patented and proven solution to stop scouring directly below and down stream of a pipe or culvert outlet. It is a biotechnical alternative for rock rip rap, the traditional method for controlling scouring.

It is a semirigid, high-density polyethylene plastic mat (48" × 48" × 0.5") combining vegetation with modern polymer material technology to mechanically protect the soil from scour and erosion until the shear forces have dissipated. Transition mats must be used over another Best Management Practices (BMP) cover, typically a permanent turf reinforcement mat (TRM), for immediate and long term soil loss protection. ScourStop™ is dark green and formulated with 10 year UV protection. However, once vegetated, the

How does it work? ScourStop™ mechanically protects the soil from scour until the shear force from the water flow is diminished by the water expansion process. Downstream flow velocities need to be calculated and managed by using other BMP’s like TRM’s (turf reinforcement mats) and Georidge® permeable berms.

Advantages

• Provides a Green Solution – ScourStop™ enables green vegetation in place of rocks and debris.
• Limited maintenance requirements
• Flexibility – works in a wide range of applications
• Longevity – provides a permanent protection with vegetation cover
• Easy to install