Self-Ballasted Wood Structure for Shoreline Protection and Aquatic Habitat Enhancement and Method of Manufacture

Abstract

The present invention is a self-ballasted wood timber to be used for shoreline protection and aquatic habitat enhancement. It is made by installing a dense ballast material within an interior cavity of a wood timber. The material is retained within the timber by plugging the open end(s). Two or more self-ballasted timbers may be assembled to form larger structures. Structures composed of the present invention have the advantage of being composed of organic materials ballasted internally by a dense material with specific gravity relative to fresh or salt water greater than one. Thus they can provide all of the aquatic habitat enhancement benefits of natural organic materials without the buoyant instability associated with organic materials in dynamic aquatic environments. Additionally, they can provide stability for shoreline protection without the negative impacts to aquatic habitat, water quality, and natural water body aesthetics associated with inorganic shoreline stabilization structures.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A self-ballasted wood timber with a cavity within its interior which is filled with a ballast material with specific gravity (relative to fresh or salt water) greater than one. 
     
     
         2 . The self-ballasted wood timber of  claim 1  where the ballast material is composed of stone, sand, concrete or other similar material. 
     
     
         3 . The self-ballasted wood timber of claim I wherein a plug composed of wood, stone, concrete, or similar material is inserted over the cavity end(s) to retain the ballast material. 
     
     
         4 . A structure comprising two or more self-ballasted timbers of  claim 1 , each having a cavity within its interior which is filled with a ballast material with specific gravity (relative to fresh or salt water) greater than one. 
     
     
         5 . A method for forming a self-ballasted wood timber unit comprising:
 (a) Providing a wood timber and excavating a cavity along its longitudinal axis;   (b) Filling the excavated cavity with a ballast material with specific gravity (relative to fresh or salt water) greater than one; and   (c) Inserting a plug over the cavity end(s) to retain the ballast material.