Tree Care & Design

Using Trees and Shrubs to Reduce Noise

on Aug 26 in Landscape Design tagged Reduce Noise, Windbreak
by Gary Bentrup with 9 comments

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

Designing Conservation Buffers

on Jun 30 in Landscape Design tagged Buffers, National Argroforestry Center, Water Quality
by Gary Bentrup with 6 comments

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. 

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