Living snow fences cut snow removal costs, offer shelter for animals, and protect house and garden from wind.

Back in the early 1900s, living snow fences were planted by the railroad companies to block the blinding effect of the snow whipping across open fields. Soon afterward, rural homeowners, farmers and highway departments got in the act and planted similar windbreaks along the roadways. Living snow fences are trees and shrubs planted at a right angle to prevailing winds. The plants are usually native species that are appropriately spaced to provide the greatest benefits.

There are many reasons to plant living snow fences and windbreaks, including:

• Greater safety for winter drivers and reduced costs for snow removal;
• Wildlife habitat and shelter for a variety of animals, especially grouse;
• A sound barrier and privacy for homeowners;
• When installed properly, they can potentially supply water for ponds, ball fields and lawns;
• Cheaper in the long run and more practical than a wood slatted fence;
• Provide home gardens and agricultural crops with protection from cold, drying winds and increase the relative humidity for plants;
• Improved landscape aesthetics.

Because you will be diverting potentially large amounts of snow away from one area to another, it is important to take into account things like buildings and driveways when planning a snow fence, according to Rick Lucas, conservation district forester for Oceola, Lake and Mecosta counties.

“Snow fences are time consuming in terms of doing it right,” he admits. And because each situation is different, Lucas suggests acquiring the technical information necessary to get it right the first time. This information can be obtained from soil conservation districts, located in most counties throughout the state.

“The best snow fences are a mixture of conifer and woody plants, such as hazelnuts,” says Woodrow “Woody” Nelson, director of communications for the National Arbor Day Foundation.

In terms of planting trees and shrubs, here are a few tips from someone who has grown a lot of trees in open fields:

• Select native, bareroot plants. These are sold in large quantities at a low cost in the spring and fall by the conservation districts. These species should include both windbreak trees, such as conifers, and plants for wildlife, including hazelnuts and some of the dogwoods.
• Prepare your site in advance. The thick brush in an open area needs to be either burned or cut back with a brush hog. Burning requires a permit from the Department of Natural Resources and knowledge on how to do this safely. Be careful! Or, clear the brush with a brush hog, then spray each individual planting site with Roundup®, or a similar glypho-sate herbicide so that a 3-foot in diameter area is readied for the tree or shrub.
• Plant the bareroot trees and shrubs. Bareroot stock is planted during the dormant season, which means very early spring (immediately after the ground thaws) and after Oct. 1, when the fall rains come. These bareroot trees can be planted with a spade or specially-made tree planter. In either case, the sod and soil is simply opened up a few inches wide and deep enough to receive the roots of the seedlings. When I do this, I slip the roots into the hole and then press the sod and soil in on either side of the plant with my foot. A polymer gel applied to the roots of the bareroot stock will help retain moisture around the newly- planted trees.

For more information, contact your local Soil Conservation District. To find one near you, go to www.macd.org. Another good source of information is www.ArborDay.org.

Neil Moran is a horticulturist and author of “North Country Gardening: Simple Secrets to Successful Northern Gardening.”