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Alternatives for Traditionnal Greening Solutions

CUSTOM DEVICES

Plant engineering: A gentle alternative to traditional civil engineering techniques!

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Private hedge.

Agricultural windbreak hedge.
Industrial screen.

Erosion prevention.

Living snow fence.
Phytoremediation (decontamination).
Revegetation and renaturalization of river banks.

Windbreak
Windbreak Hedge

Reduce gusts of wind by planting a permanent windbreak at strategic locations.

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  • Reduces contamination of organic crops. 

  • Reduces wind erosion.

  • Create a natural shelter for farm animals.

  • Improves cultures by the abundance of microorganisms.

  • Reduces dust.

  • Reduces heating and snow removal costs.

Industrial Green Screen
Industrial Screen

Hide the view of a backyard or industrialized zone with a natural buffer strip, rapidly. 

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  • Eliminates visual pollution.

  • Reduces dust.

  • Absorbs, filters and sequesters contaminants: air, soil, water.

  • Reduces heat islands.

 

Check zoning regulations. In many cases, a vegatative buffer strip must be provided along the lines of industrial and commercial lots. 

Privacy hedge
Private Hedge
Are you looking for an alternative to traditional hedge? Opt for a fast-growing willow hedge and enjoy beautiful privacy, in addition to many other benefits.

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A fast-growing willow hedge is three times more economical  than traditional cedar hedges, which have difficulty withstanding large temperature differences, including permanent damages from deer eating cedar branches when food is scarce during winter periods.

Bank Stabilization
Bank Retention 

The shores of many lakes and rivers are degrading and eroding. Hold back the banks by eliminating the erosion created by water runoff thanks to the root system of the shrubby willows. 

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  • Absorbs, filters and sequesters contaminants: water, soil, air.

  • Protects properties from wind and heavy rain erosion. 

  • Reduces the impact of flooding. 

  • Bring back biodiversity.

  • Reduces the spread of invasive plant species through the shade created by willows.

 

Check the municipal by-laws surrounding the revegetation and revitalization of embankments.

Erosion Prevention
Erosion Prevention 

Intensive planting of fast-growing willow cuttings is a bioengineering solution that helps prevent landslides.

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The following factors cause landslides:

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  • Presence of erosion at the base of the embankments (slopes).

  • Heavy and prolonged rainfall.

  • Rapid snowmelt.

  • Inclination of the slope.

  • Soil composition (clay).

  • Backfilling works: excavation and drainage.

  • Felling of trees and stumps.

 

Check the municipal regulations to better plan your project.

Bee keepi
Early Pantry for Bees
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Willows are dioecious, i.e. both male and female plants can produce flowers (catkins). Male plants carry pollen in the spring to fertilize female plants by wind or by foraging behavior of pollinating insects.

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The shrubby willow is one of the first sources of food for many pollinating insects, even before the arrival of other plants which enter their vegetative stage later than willows.  From March we observe the appearance of catkins. Therefore, willows don't contribute to the allergy season as they pollinate in late March and early April.

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The shrubby willows are a great food source for bees come early Spring, as willows bloom in March and April when flowers (pollen and nectar) are scarce. 

Living Snow Fences
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Planting a living snow fence (LSF) is a sustainable and eco-friendly solution. LSF reduces wind gusts, blowing snow, snow accumulation and black ice on roadways, making driving safer. LSF devices are designed according to the conditions of the terrain (wind direction, topography, plant species, density, etc...).

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For cities and municipalities, planting fast-growing willow hedges as a LSF represents a 30% cost saving of snow removal operations, which represent a saving of $18 for every dollar invested. A LSF can hold up to 15,000 tons of snow per km per year. In addition to reducing road de-icing operations, LSF reduces the burden on municipalities to dispose of snow and manage snow dumps.​

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In Minnesota, LSF are used to prevent windblown snow on rural roads. They've also created a tool that calculates and monitors snow accumulation to allow public agencies to determine which snow control measure is most effective for a specific roadway. The results are incredible, both in terms of savings and road safety.

Minnesota Department of Transportation
Fences that Save - Cost-Effective Snow Control Tools

Living snow fence

Source: MN Department of Transportation

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