MONEY DOES GROW ON TREES

(Page 3 of 3)

October/November 1994
By Marshall Glickman 
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Since windbreaks block airflow, wind speed increases through openings and at its outside edges (just like dammed water picks up speed at an opening). Wind breaks should extend 50 feet wider than the area you are shielding (if this isn't possible, move the windbreak closer to the house and extend it as much as you can).

RELATED CONTENT

If you're planting a new windbreak, use a fence for immediate wind protection and plant fast-growing trees and shrubs along with your ideal windbreak trees. Be prepared to lose a few fast-growing trees to the wind and to take them away when they hinder your maturing, ideal windbreak trees. A windbreak fence should be louvered to increase the length of its wind shadow.

To Cool Down

The increased wind speed created by openings in windbreaks can be used to your advantage in hot climates and during the summer in temperate and cool climates. (This assumes that the prevailing summer winds come from a different direction than the winter ones. If they come from the same direction, choose your wind strategy by the size of your utility bills: Does it cost more to heat or cool your house?) A funnel of trees or tall hedges that guide winds into your house can provide constant natural air-conditioning. The plants act like a large wind scoop that can turn even light, unnoticeable prevailing winds into cooling breezes. If the narrowest end of the funnel is covered by a breezeway or a tree with a high canopy, the cooling effect is even better.

There's more to making a property earth friendly than simply making it energy efficient, but it's not a bad start. If most American home owners made a few key landscaping changes, the collective energy savings would be the equivalent of closing 23 large power plants or taking more than 26 million cars off the road.

Marshall's book, Energy-Efficient and Environmental Landscaping , is available from Appropriate Solution Press, 802-348-7441, for $17.95 + $2 postage.

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