Arbor Day Farm's Living Snow Fence
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| From providing greater safety for winter
drivers, to conserving water from snowfall and creating habitat
for wildlife, living snow fences are a wise conservation choice. |
Living snow fences combine the beauty and wildlife value of trees
with practical conservation benefits. Since the early 1900's, when
living snow fences were first planted to protect railroad lines,
until today, many homeowners and highway departments have come to
plant these important working trees.
Living snow fences offer many advantages over conventional slatted
or picket fences. Some of these benefits include greater diversification
for landowners, including the production of nuts, fruits, and decorative
woody florals. As these examples illustrate, living snow fences,
like all trees and other conservation buffers, provide their bounty
while serving multiple functions in the landscape.
In addition, living snow fences offer many other advantages, including:
- greater safety for winter drivers, and reduced energy costs
for snow removal
- wildlife habitat, often through a combination of trees, shrubs,
and native grasses
- improved landscape aesthetics
- water conservation, with snowdrifts collected by the proper
placement of trees helping provide water for lawns, ball fields,
and farm ponds in the spring
- and lasting value, with living snow fences having a service
life of up to 75 years. This means that, over time, planting a
living snow fence can be much less expensive than installing a
traditional slatted fence
Principles you can use…
For many farmers, landowners, rural homeowners, and highway officials,
living snow fences may be a healthy alternative to other snow control
options. One important consideration is selecting the right trees,
being sure to choose species that are native to your area or adapted
to local soils, climate, and growing conditions. Rows and spacing
are also important considerations, based in part on snowfall in
your area and type of tree planted. And especially crucial is the
design of the living snow fence, with trees being planted at right
angles to prevailing winter winds and at a minimum distance from
roads of 200 feet in open country with snowy winters, and at 100
feet in areas with less snow or with natural obstructions.
To learn more…
Publications:
To receive the Arbor Day Foundation's free "Conservation Trees"
booklet with information on living snow fences, write to: Conservation
Trees, c/o The Arbor Day Foundation, 211 N. 12th Street,
Lincoln, NE 68508.
Web sites:
More information on living snow fences can be found at the following
Web sites:
The
Arbor Day Foundation - for additional conservation
information or to order the "Conservation Trees" booklet
on-line, or visit
our tree store, to learn about or order trees suitable for living
snow fences in your area
The USDA National Agroforestry Center -
A partnership of the USDA Forest Service and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The Natural
Resources Conservation Service - for helpful information on
living snow fences, windbreaks, and related conservation practices.
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