When this happens, there is not much a general contractor can do to reduce the amount of noise that is heard from outside the property. One cannot just remove a park, or birds from the trees; instead, home and business owners have installed extra insulation, and various other construction tricks to eliminate these noises; however, these projects are expensive and time-consuming. There is another way to effectively reduce the noise heard from within a property or home without ripping out the walls and floorboards. The answer is trees! Continue reading to learn how strategically planted trees can effectively reduce noise coming from outdoors.
Advantages of Landscaping Trees
Not only can trees add value, beauty, and environmental benefits to your property, they have various other benefits as well. Trees that are planted and placed as a boundary on a property or piece of land create environmentally-friendly alternative to wooden privacy fencing. Most importantly, it creates a natural buffer from outside noise pollution. It is recommended by tree and landscaping specialists to place the trees as close to the source of noise as possible. Depending on the square-footage of the property, additional landscaping methods may need to be implemented. Here are some standard guidelines on planting or placing trees as a buffer on your property:
☙ Traffic Noise Reduction
Roads with traffic that exceeds 40 mph can create a significant amount of noise pollution on private properties. In this case, a 20 to 50 foot wide buffer needs to be planted at least 20 to 50 feet of the center of the traffic lanes nearest the property.
☙ Safety Precautions
Be sure the trees that being placed as a buffer are not immediate dangers for vehicular collisions on the road. Ask yourself if the trees stand to be immediate impact for any driver that may veer off the road. If so, then placing the trees back farther from the road is the safer option. Also, ask yourself if the trees are the appropriate species and can handle seasonal changes and harsh weather conditions. For example, if harsh snows fall, can the tree withstand the extra weight of the precipitation? Also, are the trees strong enough to withstand standard local snow and ice removal?
☙ Using the Appropriate Species of Tree
The best tree to use in the North American regions for natural noise reduction is evergreens. These species of tree can effectively reduce noise by disrupting sound waves with their thick web of branches and foliage. Also, evergreens are not deciduous trees, meaning they do not shed their leaves seasonally. This means no bare branches and noise interruption come fall and winter. They stay full and thick all year long.
☙ Creating the Best Buffer
It is ideal to double-up when placing trees as buffers around a property. The thicker the boundary, the less noise is likely to pass through. Make the buffer as dense as possible. Two or three layers is significantly more effective than one. Although it can be expensive to plant this many trees within your budget, it can be a great investment to the property. If budget truly is an issue, start slow; instead, plant a new row of buffers each year or every other year. Eventually, you will achieve the noise reduction you were after to begin with!