Living Snow Fence Case Study: Gaylord, MN
Introduction
  Snowfall
  Wind Direction
  Fetch Distance
  Snow Water Equiv.
  Snow Transport
  Porosity
  Attack Angle
  Setback
  Conclusions
  References



This living snow fence design uses two 8-row strips of standing corn placed 150-ft apart. The corn rows are 2150-ft long and protect an S-shaped north-south section of TH 22 just north of Gaylord, MN in Sibley County.

Steps used to design a living snow fence given the climatological and topographic characteristics at this site:

  1. Identify the snowfall over the snow accumulation season (SAS).
  2. Determine the prevailing winter wind direction by looking at: prevailing wind direction for October - March and the direction of predominant snow transport
  3. Determine fetch distance for this site.
  4. Identify the snow water equivalent (SWE).
  5. Calculate the mean seasonal snow transport, based on snowfall over the snow accumulation season (SAS).
  6. Calculate storage capacity, based on fence porosity and height.
  7. Determine the angle of the prevailing wind with the road.
  8. Run model to get proper setback distance for fence.

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