Why was erosion important to the recovery of vegetation on the Monument?
Erosion played a very important positive role in the recovery of native plants at Mount St. Helens and, ultimately, the long-term stabilization of blast zone hillslopes. From the standpoint of ecosystem recovery at St. Helens, erosion should be viewed as a positive process. The erosion that occurred during the first winter broke up the overlying ash and enabled many native plants to re-sprout and survive. In many areas where thick ash deposits prevented re-sprouting plant recovery was restricted to erosion gullies on steep slopes. These early plant survivors provided a good seedbed (shade and litter) and thus paved the way for the recovery of plant life in the blast zone. The positive influence of erosion on vegetation recovery is a key lesson learned for managers of Cascade Volcanoes. Where eruptions bury existing vegetation and ash deposits are comparatively thin (less than 10 inches) it is very likely that the surviving native vegetation will be the most dominant force in stabilizin
