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County developing ‘living snow fences’

March 4, 2015   ·   0 Comments

The implementation of living snow fences is one of the challenges in the 2015 County draft budget for the Public Works Department. The Living Snow Fence Program (LSFP), which was developed in cooperation with the County, the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) and the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority (NVCA,) will assist eligible Dufferin landowners with the cost of tree planting to establish the living fences in priority areas.

“Discussions around a LFSP date back several years,” said Scott Burns, Director of Public Works and County Engineer. “A report speaking to the development of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the appropriate Conservation Authorities and the County was initially presented in April of 2012.  The MOU between the NVCA, the GRCA and the County of Dufferin was completed and signed in May 2013.”

Mr. Burns says County Council “has been very supportive of the initiative and the long-term benefits of the program.”Under the program, the living snow fences will be created in areas of identified risk due to prevailing winds throughout the County, by allowing rows of corn to remain standing through the winter months or through the planting of coniferous trees in rows along the north and west sides of  roadways. The goal is to block blowing snow and reduce accumulation on roadways.

“To date Dufferin has planted trees in several areas where there is sufficient setback from our roadways within the existing road allowance and have also purchased rows of corn within private lands in areas typically prone to drifting due to blowing snow,” Mr. Burns said. “We have communicated with several land owners where we are interested in planting trees within private lands and are pursuing implementation on a continuous basis.  In 2013 and 2014, Dufferin invested $99,742.90 in tree planting within gap areas of existing tree lines where road allowance widths were sufficient.”

The longevity (in the case of trees, approximately 80 years) and advantages of living snow fences make the implementation an ambitious priority for the Public Works Department. There are clear environmental and beautification benefits over traditional snow fences and the continuous plowing and sanding of highways.  Conservation Authorities promote the ecological importance of forest cover and the benefits to water quantity and quality, as well as providing habitats for wildlife.

Studies show significant improvement in road safety, as well as reducing road maintenance costs associated with “snow removal, the use of road salt, minimizing the frequency of road closures and providing several benefits to crop lands where tree planting is performed,” says Mr. Burns, noting that the LSFP is much more cost effective than the alternative construction of large snow ditches of the type found on Highway 10 north of Camilla, which in turn can create further complications and challenges for roads departments.

The Living Snow Fence Program provides trees and planting of the trees at no cost to the land owners, who also receive performance incentives of $250 an acre for three years and $100 an acre for seven years to help replace acreage loss for crop production.

“We are continuously working to develop relationships with landowners in the effort of implementing the LSFP wherever we can,” says Mr. Burns. “Ultimately, the goal is to have living snow fences installed in all areas prone to blowing snow and drifting along our County Roads.

“We encourage landowners living on the north or west side of Dufferin Roads to contact us if they are interested in participating in the Living Snow Fence Program.  We would be glad to meet, discuss and provide any information they require.”

Those interested should call the County at 519-941-2816.

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