What is a fascine roll (Dutch: wiep)?
A fascine roll, in Dutch “wiep”, is a tightly bound, long roll of brushwood. In Dutch the word has two uses: in hydraulic engineering it is the brushwood roll, and on a hay barrack (a haystack roof that slides up and down on posts) it is the reed roll along the bottom edge of the roof.
1. In hydraulic engineering
In traditional Dutch hydraulic engineering, a fascine roll is a bundle of brushwood (thin willow branches) bound with bands of twisted willow withies into a closed roll. Its circumference is about 50 centimetres.
Uses:
- Fascine mattresses (zinkstukken): large brushwood mats sunk with rock to protect river beds and banks against scour. The rolls form crossing grids on the top and bottom, with layers of brushwood in between.
- Bank protection: rolls are laid along banks and secured with stakes, as a buffer against waves and a support for vegetation.
- Groynes and dams: in the brushwood core of groynes.
Under water, brushwood hardly decays because little oxygen reaches it; above the waterline it rots faster. Today fascine mattresses are often combined with geotextile, but the craft of binding fascine rolls is still used, for example for nature-friendly banks and for repairing historic structures.
2. On a hay barrack
On a Dutch hay barrack, the “wiep” is the reed roll at the bottom of the roof. It clamps the reed at the lower edge, much like a clamping board, and forms a neat, firm edge to the thatch.
Tips
- Fresh material: brushwood is easiest to work while still pliable.
- Bind tightly: a loose roll slumps and loses its function in a mattress.
- Consent: work on banks and watercourses is usually subject to water authority rules.
Related terms
- Wattle
- Thatch clamping board
- Thatching
- Pile dike
- Stone dike
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