Established on May 1, 1946 to promote the conservation and wise use of our county's natural resources

LIVING SNOW FENCE

As you know, blowing snow can be a problem in rural areas and on state and county roads. A lot of time and money is spent annually on snow removal to provide continuous access. A LSF can protect roads from drifting snow, reduce snow removal costs, and reduce salt use. A LSF is a designed planting of trees and/or shrubs located along roads, or around communities and farmsteads.

These plantings create a vegetative barrier that traps and controls blowing and drifting snow. A LSF can be a low-cost solution to prevent drifting snow problems. Strategically placed and properly designed, these living barriers trap snow as it blows across fields, piling it up before it ever reaches a road, waterway, farmstead, or community. A LSF can reduce effort spent on snow management. They can be designed to spread snow across a large area or confine it to a small area.

A LSF provides many benefits:

• trapping snow and reducing removal costs
• a decrease in tax dollars spent on time, labor, material (fuel, salt, sand etc...) and reduced
maintenance of machinery and roads
• greater road visibility and driver safety, reducing vehicle accidents and injuries
• more open, better functioning drainage systems and reduced spring flooding
• reduced soil erosion
• improved wildlife habitat (food and cover)
• visual screens and energy conservation
• enhanced aesthetic appeal of landscape