I am looking for information on the density of trees or other plant material needed to block noise for roadways. Both turnpikes and urban traffic
Thanks
Carl

Reply to post by Carl A Cathcart, on October 15, 2001 at 08:40:13:

Hi Carl. The only two detailed pieces I've found are from the early '70s.

Robinette, Gary. ?date? Plants, People and Environmental Quality. US Department of the Interior, National Parks Service.

The other was a joint publication of Universtity of Nebraska and USFS. Try contacting NE Extension.

There are some shorter treatments floating around from USDOT and various state highway agencies. I'd guess you might come up with something talking to the landscape arcitecture people involved with the Big Dig there in Boston. I think Jack kelly has been working with some of them.

Scott

Reply to post by Scott Cullen, on October 15, 2001 at 08:40:13:

page one of Pirones Tree maintinace (6th Ed) states that every 100ft can absorb 6-8 Db. No studies sited.

Harris et al Arboriculture (3rd ed) pg 138 has a graph that shows some marginal differance between bare ground and 100ft vegitative barrier. Higher frequwencies are dampened better and including burms greatly increases the effect. This is something I have seen in the military, a sloped sanbag barrier will deflect sound upwards and be better then a straight wall.

Harris sites;
Cook VanHaverbek 1971
Robbinette 1972
herrington 1974.

Reply to post by John Paul Sanborn, on October 19, 2001 at 10:44:25:

I seem to remember from Robinette that evergreens and deciduous trees are better at different frequencies so perform best when mixed (unless you have a single frequency source). Don't recall which was which.

Reply to post by Scott, on October 27, 2001 at 13:21:15:

Most of the effect is either putting it out of sight and so out of mind or masking the noise as with "George Leonard Herter's World Famous Sleep Inducers" (do they still make those?)

I have found not wearing ear protection when I was young to be a very effective noise abater. Kind of a pain though in conversation.

Bob Underwood

Reply to post by Bob Underwood, on November 01, 2001 at 03:59:39:

Bob, speak up and look at me when you talk! I run chainsaws for a living!

Reply to post by JPS, on November 01, 2001 at 08:55:17:

Oh that's look UP at me......

Reply to post by jps, on November 07, 2001 at 21:13:11:

JPS

You may have lost the position, but not the sense of humor! Oops, you should have DUCKED that one.
Bob U

Reply to post by Bob Underwood, on November 07, 2001 at 21:14:04:

Man I was realy clothslined by that. I was mad for almost a whole day!

I was working the next one so it aint all bad. Just gotta reset those long term plans and goals.

JPS
Freelancing again
MKE, WI