There's a tropical solution to a topsoil problem: Crews in the Susquehanna Valley and beyond are using coconut fibers to stop erosion.The process has been going on for years and is now becoming even more common.It's even being used in Dauphin County."We really want native vegetation here," said Justin Kauffman, with Aquatic Resource Restoration.Off Deer Run Drive in Hummelstown, crews are trying to stop runoff into Deer Run stream."It takes a lot of coconuts," Kauffman said.What was once considered a waste product is now in high demand. The fibers from coconuts are formed into logs overseas."That's packed inside here, but then this twine itself is just wound up coconut fibers as well, too, so it gives it a little bit more rigidity," Kauffman said.Then companies like Aquatic Resource Restoration, based in York, use the logs to block pollutants from getting into waterways. "It's just kind of one of those resources that was there, and somebody got smart enough to come up with it, using it that way," Kauffman said."One of these is about 70 pounds, and depending on the diameter, they can go up to 125," said Brian Resch with Eco Depot.But even with all that weight, Eco Depot in Maryland – which buys and resells the coconut logs – said they will eventually biodegrade."This actually promotes growth. It puts nutrients back in the soil, so it's a great idea," Resch said.Eco Depot is one of the few companies to order logs that already have tubes built into them so trees can grow right through.The coconut coir logs cost more than other measures that are not as environmentally friendly. One log runs between $100 and $200. "Depending on far down the road they're going to go, it could get expensive," Resch said.For this project in Hummelstown, they're going more than a quarter mile. But crews are also thinking long-term."They become soil, and they become something that plants can actually grow in, so it's a pretty beautiful thing. We don't ever have to come back and touch these again and re-disturb anything," Kauffman said.The Chesapeake Bay is downstream, so cleaner water here means cleaner drinking water for all of us.The coconut logs are made in places like India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. The company in Maryland that buys the logs for re-sale said some of its customers order the logs for smaller projects in their own backyards. 'Today' ShowYou may have seen part of this story on the "Today" show on Friday morning. It's highlighting Earth Week, which begins on Monday.You can see the "Today" show segment here.Video below: Ocean mapping by Saildrones could improve storm surge forecasts