Noise from vehicles and others sources can reduce one’s enjoyment of being outdoors. Dense, tree buffers can reduce noise to levels that allow normal outdoor activities to occur. For instance, a 100-foot wide planted buffer will reduce noise by 5 to 8 decibels (dBA). If one uses a barrier in the buffer such as a landform can significantly increase buffer effectiveness (10 to 15 dBA reduction per 100-foot wide buffer with 12-foot high landform). Read more…
Author Archives: Gary Bentrup
Designing Conservation Buffers
The USDA National Agroforestry Center’s publication, Conservation Buffers: Design Guidelines for Buffers, Corridors, and Greenways offers over 80 illustrated guidelines for designing conservation buffers.
Conservation buffers are strips of vegetation placed in the landscape to provide a variety of ecological, economic, and social benefits to society. They are called by many names, including wildlife corridors, greenways, windbreaks, and filter strips to name just a few.