A problem area along Highway
30 in Cottonwood County 10 miles west of Darfur is managed
by a 2000-ft linear planting of honeysuckle. This living
snow fence is set back 300-ft from the north side of the
highway to capture blowing snow before it becomes a problem
for travelers.
Steps used to design a living
snow fence given the climatological and topographic
characteristics at this site:
- Identify
the snowfall over the snow accumulation season (SAS).
- Determine
the prevailing winter wind direction by looking at:
prevailing wind direction for October - March and
the direction of predominant snow transport.
- Determine
fetch distance for this site.
- Identify
the snow water equivalent (SWE).
- Calculate
the mean seasonal snow transport, based on snowfall
over the snow accumulation season (SAS).
- Calculate
storage capacity, based on fence porosity and height.
- Determine
the angle of the prevailing wind with the road.
- Run
model to get proper setback distance for fence.
