Narrow Trees for Windbreak

I'm thinking of planting some trees as a windbreak. We have a narrow but long plot, so I am after something that won't have a large canopy, and they will have to go a single-row up the boundary hedge (only fields on either side, so no neighbours to worry about)

My ideal would, I think, be Monterey Pine (Pinus radiata IIRC) but I think they would be rather wide.

I could do Lombardy Poplars I suppose. Dead ugly though IMHO ... however I am just looking for practical, and I could alternate them with something slower and plan to clear-fell the Lombardies in 20 years time ...

So I reckon the requirement is: good windbreak, fast growing, narrow.

Its the outer, more established, hedge on either side of this photo. I want to plant the rooms within the younger hedges in the next year or two and I have decided that more wind protection than the dotted hedgerow trees is going to be needed.

 

I was thinking poplar as well Kristen. What about Silver Birch or Eucalyptus, the latter are evergreen if I'm remembering right.

 

Would Cricket Bat Willows be too wide Kristen? Good cash crop.

 

I've been thinking about Eucalyptus as in-fill plants within the plot, to provide some open-canopy shade, didn't dawn on me to put them ON the perimeter. I worry about myself sometimes ... They're quick of course ... Silver Birch would loko nice too, ta.

Father planted some along the river where he worked, for just the same reason. Once they got up a bit he didn't have the heart to harvest them! I have some willows across the plot, dunno if they are Cricket Bats though ... Definitely a candidate though, thanks.

At least I can strike Lombardi from the list, as I'm not overly fond of them - but they serve a good purpose.

 

'I worry about myself sometimes'..........you're meeting yourself coming back, that's the problem Kristen. That's a saying my grandfather used.

I had a 30ft Eucalyptus in one of my previous gardens that was fairly close to the house (not planted by me) and the rustling leaves kept us awake at night when it was windy. They are beautiful trees though and definitely worth thinking about. Perhaps you could invest in a Koala or two as well.

 

NO ... NO NEW PROJECTS

Eucalyptus can be prone to dropping limbs, but these will be "down the garden", so I shan't worry overly about that - nor the rustling of leaves Beautiful trees as you say, and thin-ish canopy to provide some dappled shade.

 

Poplars sprung to my mind also....

 

Hmm, there USED to be a fellow on here, that was something of an expert on trees? Where did he go?? An Aussie, if I remember right...

 

So my Euc's 'l be all right then

 

Do you mean HarmonyArb Freddy, he pops in from time to time.

 

How about looking at some of these ;
Sorbus 'Hilling Spire' - http://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/plants.cfm?pl_id=4002
Purple Fastigiate Beech - http://www.ornamental-trees.co.uk/o...s-c38/fagus-sylvatica-dawyck-purple-tree-p317
Golden Fastigiate Beech - http://www.ornamental-trees.co.uk/ornamental-trees-c18/fagus-sylvatica-dawyck-gold-p316
Upright Silver Birch - http://www.mailordertrees.co.uk/Bet...etula_'Fastigiata'_(Upright_Silver_Birch_Tree)
Upright English Oak - http://wp.nres.uiuc.edu/plant/querofa
Sentinel Pine - http://www.barcham.co.uk/trees/pinus-sylvestris-fastigiata-sentinel-pine

 

Had forgotten about the Fastigate fellows ... ta for that.

There is a fastigate Hornbeam too (lining the avenue in Oxford where the Pulman trilogy has the gap through into the "other world" ...). Hornbeam probably better suited to my soil than Beech

 

No, this user had 'tree' incorporated in his user name, if I remember right

 

Sorry Freddy, I don't remember him.

 

Googling, as you do, I turned up some hybrid Willow and Poplars used for coppicing primarily (well, "short rotation firewood cropping" might be more accurate)

The Willow looks like it suckers massively, which would make it quite wide I think (and thus not really suitable), of the two Poplars one ("Robusta") is describing as having a narrower head - seen to be a disadvantage once coppiced, but perhaps ideal in my situation.

Supplied as unrooted cuttings (because strike-rate is close to 100%) and ... Wait for it! .... willow can grow, in the first year, to about 12 FEET !! and the Poplar will do 6'-7' a year.

Sounds ideal. I thought I could maybe fell on a 5 year cycle, felling every 5th tree (this is obviously not how it is intended to be harvested) such that I left 4/5th of my windbreak at all times. Or I could interplant with something slower that could then grow up in the gaps.

I was also thinking that after the first harvest I could remove all-bar-one of the suckers so that I got a stronger, but less [volumetrically speaking] weight of crop.

Populus Trichocarpa "Tricobel" (California Poplar, Black Cottonwood, and Western Balsam Poplar) - 4'-6' p.a.
Poplar "Gaver" (Populus deltoides x Populus nigra) - 4'-6' p.a.
Hybrid Poplar 'Robusta' ("very straight trunk with an upright leading branch and a narrow canopy") although I think it may be a bit slower than Gaver?

Compared to Lombardy the Height and spread is:
"Lombardy" After 10 years: 10m x 2m, 20 years: 17m x 3m
"Robusta" After 10 years: 14m x 5m, 20 years: 25m x 10m

I think I favour the 40% extra height ...

I found some useful info here:
http://mammothwillow.co.uk/store/