Establishing and maintaining permanent vegetation has proved to be the most effective and efficient means of stabilizing coastal sand dunes. The dune areas on the Pacific coast of North America are the result of accelerated erosion caused primarily by the destruction of a cover of native vegetation. In some areas the climax cover was herbaceous, in others it was woody, and in still others it was a combination of herbaceous and woody plants. The choice of plants for the reconstruction of a permanent cover depends on the inherent limitations of the site and the intended land use for the area.