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As crews work to remove the unprecedented amounts of snow across the region, nonstop bulldozer brigades have become a common site. However, there is one small stretch of road in La Veta that required very little snow removal thanks to a living snow fence. In 1988, a 1000-foot section along side of Highway 12 by the airport was planted with a high-density tree barrier to catch and hold blowing and drifting snow. Today, those trees have matured and the fence is doing its job by keeping snow off Highway 12. “The effect is very dramatic,” said C.K. Morey, Colorado State Forest Service District Forester for the La Veta District.
The Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) worked with the land owner and the State Highway Department to create this living barrier, which has the added benefit of providing wildlife habitat. High density planting placed Rocky Mountain Juniper trees eight feet apart in two rows that were eight feet apart. For maximum trapping power, the trees in the second row were offset from the first, much the way you would lay bricks. The juniper was then backed up by a row of deciduous trees that, while diversifying the habitat, also increases the height of the barrier. “Juniper gives the fence the necessary density, but higher trees can store more snow,” commented Morey.
Though any simple row of trees or shrubs can help to control blowing and drifting snow, a properly designed and strategically placed living snow fence can maximize its snow storage power and reduce effort spent on snow management. Rather than functioning as a wall to prevent snow passing through, a living snow fence relies on the physics of the wind velocity changes they create to cause patterns of snow deposition in and behind them. When the fence is properly set back from an area to be protected, such as a road, the blowing snow is naturally piled up before it reaches that area. Important design considerations are tree spacing, species, predominant storm wind direction, soil types and climate in the planting area. Combining these factors, foresters can calculate the height, setback and length needed.
In addition to snow management, these living barriers add beauty to the landscape, can provide livestock protection, create a visual screen, and help to reduce spring run off and soil erosion. Rural property owners can incorporate living snow fences into their landscape design to protect driveways, walkways and entrances. CSFS offers a tree seedling program that enables farmers, ranchers and rural land owners to obtain trees at a nominal cost. CSFS trees and shrubs are grown only for conservation benefits, including windbreaks. Seedlings are sold in bundles of 30 or 50 depending on the species, and CSFS District Foresters can assist with snow fence design and recommendations on species choices for individual locations. Las Animas and Huerfano County property owners can contact their District Forester, C.K. Morey at his office in La Veta at (719) 742-3588 for assistance. More information can be found on the CSFS Tree Program at http://csfs.colostate.edu/nursery.htm
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