Windbreak Trees and Shrubs in Iowa
For more than 20 years, we have been growing windbreak trees and shrubs, and designing windbreaks to accomplish various goals.
Common goals of a properly designed windbreak using trees and shrubs:
- Slowing the wind
- Reducing livestock odor around barns and feedlots
- Controlling snow drifts
- Creating visual screens and barriers
Trees
Click here for a list of common windbreak trees used in Iowa windbreaks around homes, farms and livestock buildings.
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Shrubs
Click here for a list of common windbreak shrubs used in Iowa windbreaks around homes, farms and livestock buildings.
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To slow the cold, prevailing Midwestern winds, we plant our windbreaks north and west of the area we are trying to protect, such as buildings, farmsteads or livestock facilities.
The shaded area in this figure represents the area protected from wind. Also referred to as the ‘inside’ of the windbreak.
For an effective windbreak we like to plant a row of deciduous shrubs on the outside row, followed by (ideally) two rows of evergreen trees on the inside. Plant the inside row no closer than 75 feet away from the area you wish to protect to ensure the snow has room to drift on the ground, rather than on the roof of your structure.
According to Iowa State University, mature windbreak height multiplied by 10 gives you the area most protected , down wind from the windbreak trees and shrubs.
Example: 45ft tall trees at maturity, multiplied by 10, equals 450ft of protected area.
Our Windbreak Design and Install Process:
Windbreak cost example:
What does a windbreak cost? That’s a very common question and not hard for us to answer after we know what you’re trying to accomplish with your windbreak. Every single windbreak is (and should be) different. Your windbreak should be designed specifically for you, to accomplish your goals.
Customers have the option of picking up their plants at our nursery and installing themselves, or we can do it all from start to finish. Think of our process as turn-key, or al la carte.
Here is an example of an average three row, 200ft long windbreak with EVERYTHING we offer (updated 2/1/23):
- Design: Fees are waived with purchase of a windbreak.
- Layout: Precise measuring and layout using one flag or paint mark per tree. $4 per tree. Total, $240
- Row one (outside) – Ninebark at 5ft in-row spacing. 18-24in potted plants: $12 per shrub, 40 shrubs. Total, $480.
- Row two (middle) – Cedar, Eastern Red at 20 ft spacing. 18-24in potted plants: $24 per tree, 10 trees. Total, $240.
- Row three (inside) – Pine, White at 20ft spacing. 18-24in potted plants: $24 per tree, 10 trees. Total, $240.
- Planting, windbreak installation – Using the correct machines and equipment: $19 per plant, 60 plants. Total, $1140
- Mileage and delivery charge – Includes loading and unloading, fuel and machines: $1.95 per vehicle mile round-trip, 50 miles. Total, $97.50.
Total windbreak cost using the above example, $2,438. This is a turn-key example of us suppling the plants and providing all of our services and labor.
Using the above example, if we supply the plants and install them, the price can be converted to:
- $12.19 per linear foot of windbreak.
- $1.03 per pig space on a 2500 head unit.
Thousands of Trees Available
At our nursery we have thousands of trees available, of many different sizes, ready to plant. Whether you’re looking for a container grown tree, or a larger field grown evergreen or shade tree we have a size and species right for most projects.
