Around the 17th century, the Dutch started reinforcing their dykes and harbours with sturdy mats the size of football pitches – hand-woven from thousands of twigs grown on nearby coppice plantations. LOW←TECH MAGAZINE investigates Fascine Mattresses: Basketry Gone Wild [archive]
Fascine-ating bonus link: learn more about the role of Dutch civil engineering in modern port planning in Japan (1870s–1890s) [archive].