Subject: Re: Highway Noise/Sight Abatement

From: [email-masked] (Reginald Jack Osborne)
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995 14:43:48 +0000

In article <[email-masked]>
           [email-masked] "Larry Musolino" writes:

> I'm looking for suggestions of plant/tree to be used for planting
> alongside a highway to limit noise (and sight as well).
> 
> Is an arbivatoe a good choice since it's evergreen, grows thick and
> would appear to do a good job of reflecting noise?
> 
> Anyone have a successful approach to this problem?
> 
In the UK, the most commonly used plant for this purpose is the Leyland Cypress 
(Cupressocyparis Leylandii).  This is a conifer that grows a couple of feet a 
year in pretty well any sort of conditions.  It is important to control it in 
the early stages otherwise it will soon up to 30 feet or more and be 
uncontrollable.  I have a hedge 8 feet high.  Now that the shape is established 
it only requires a softwood trim once a year.

Reg
-- 
R J Osborne

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From: [email-masked] (Steven M. Begley)
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 1995 02:29:17 GMT

>would appear to do a good job of reflecting noise?

That all depends on how far from the highway you are and where you live (Zone).

In Penna, Arbor viteas would work well, but they are pricy if you need a lot 
of them. 

If you have some room to work, a lot of people use Lombardy poplars. (Or the 
new hybrids) They are not evergreen, and they only live about 25 years, but 
they get tall quickly, and you can buy them bare root and in 3-4 years you 
have a barrier 6-8 feet tall, and in another few years they are 12-15 feet 
tall. They are not too desirable for a close in area as they are relatively 
dirty trees.

If you have room and money, consider white pine. If you have neither room nor 
money, but have lots of sun, consider Privet hedge. They are more or less 
evergreen here in zone 6, and I think they are evergreen a lot fursther north. 
They shear well, you can buy them bare root for next to nothing, but they need 
lots of sun.

I hope this helps.

Steven

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From: [email-masked] (Steven M. Begley)
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 1995 02:29:17 GMT

I hope this helps.

Steven

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From: [email-masked] (john shakula)
Date: 30 Mar 1995 14:18:25 GMT

I was surprised to hear a landscape architect say (during a lecture)
that plantings need to be 50-100 ft. thick to significantly screen
highway noise.  He went on to say that if that approach is not practical
a wall, fence, or combination of plantings and something solid is the
best approach.  Of course, berming and plantings would work.

I have seen and used Austrian pines for screens and like them for many
reasons, one of which is that they tend not to lose their lower branches
as they mature.

JR  
    Draper, Utah, USA
    [email-masked]                    

Larry Musolino ([email-masked]) wrote:
: I'm looking for suggestions of plant/tree to be used for planting
: alongside a highway to limit noise (and sight as well).

: Is an arbivatoe a good choice since it's evergreen, grows thick and
: would appear to do a good job of reflecting noise?

: Anyone have a successful approach to this problem?

: -- 
: Larry M.

---

From: [email-masked] (Allyn Weaks)
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 1995 20:09:06 -0800

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (john

> best approach.  Of course, berming and plantings would work.

Yup.  Sound is sneaky, especially the low frequency stuff which can carry
for miles and be virtually unstoppable.  And high gap-free walls
(expensive) are far more effective than the normal board fences with
cracks between boards (cheaper).  But one thing that can work well
(depending on the distances available, sorry, I don't remember the
numbers) and doesn't cost a fortune is a 'forest floor'.  Lots of leaf
mold and litter and mulch and perhaps some low shrubs or tallish herbs. 
Similar reason that carpeted rooms are so much quieter than rooms with
hardwood floors.  Yet another point against those silly grass deserts that
people stick everywhere...they're not only sterile, they just aren't
acoustically fuzzy enough!
-- 
Allyn Weaks
[email-masked]