An effective Windbreak will save energy, money

This most recent cold snap packed a walloping wind with it. I was walking in my backyard and felt a chill every time the wind whipped. The feeling was a bit refreshing when I considered the mild temperatures of the past month. It did not take long for that fresh feeling to wear off and be replaced with discomfort. I knew that I had several months of these cold winds to deal with. That is when I started to consider how wind hits my house and how I can stop it with trees and shrubs.

I am the frugal sort and like to save money when I can. I can remember a fifth grade science teacher discussing windbreaks and pointing out how they reduce energy bills. I may not have paid much attention then but today I am all ears. So I began to make some plans.

First, I reviewed the north and west sides of my house to look for planting potential. The truly frigid winds will come from that direction so this is where I want my windbreak. I needed to see how much space is available for planting and then use that for reference. Some of you may only be able to plant a single or double row of trees. The best advice I have heard is to plant whatever you can, but the more rows you can plant the better.

After examining space I need to select my trees. Any bushy tree or shrub can be useful as a windbreak but some work better than others. I like evergreens because they are just as bushy in winter as they are in summer. Bushy evergreens will block more wind than a deciduous tree so I am selecting them to plant. If you have or choose deciduous trees for a windbreak, they will do an adequate job too. Not all trees provide the same protection, but any barrier to wind is better than none at all.

Using that list of trees I tried to choose three different height types. I need very tall trees, medium sized trees to block wind below the tall trees, and a short shrub to catch wind close to the ground.

I chose shortleaf pine for the tall trees, cedar for the medium trees and fragrant sumac for the short shrubs. Pin oak and shingle oak are also great choices for large trees in a windbreak. For medium-size trees you may also consider crab apples, hawthorns or Osage orange. Shrubs can be most anything but possumhaw and ninebark are excellent hardy choices. The most important thing to remember is that if you want a windbreak, plant what you like. Sure you need to see what works better, but choose the species that you prefer.

There are many selling points to the plants I chose. Most importantly, all are native to Missouri and well adapted to our seasonal fluctuations in rainfall and temperature. Secondly, they are valuable to wildlife. The berries from cedar and fragrant sumac, as well as seeds from pine cones are valuable food for birds. The bushy character that makes these trees good windbreaks for homes also provides great protection for birds. When I plant this windbreak for my house, I will enjoy the knowledge that animals will benefit as much as I do.

I want two staggered rows of shortleaf pine to be my tall trees. In front of that I will plant some cedar. Cedar may not get as tall but they will block the wind closer to the ground. I then looked up the maximum width of these trees. With reference to my available space I now can see how thick and long my rows need to be. I plan to leave about 20 feet between my tall tree rows and 15 feet between the medium tree row. For the shrub rows I will leave only 10 feet of spacing. This should make the wind behave in the way I want. With this information in hand, I can now successfully plant a windbreak. The only thing left to do is consider where to obtain my plants.

I will most likely get seedlings from the George O. White Nursery in Licking, Mo. They specialize in trees and shrubs and all of their seed stock comes from Missouri. They sell bundles of 25 trees at a reasonable price. A bundle of 25 seedlings will cost roughly $3-8. You may contact the Missouri Department of Conservation for a seedling order form.

If I want to get larger trees and am willing to pay a bit more I could visit one of our local nurseries.

In places where I want trees to have a head start, paying for a ball and burlap tree might pay off in the long run. No matter what I choose, I am certain that I will not only impact my heating costs but benefit nature by growing native plants. You too can plant a windbreak. If you would like help, please contact your local Conservation Department representative.

A.J. Hendershott is an outreach and education regional supervisor with the Missouri Department of Conservation.