The winds damage orchards, m.in. they knock down the fruit, make it difficult to carry out plant protection treatments, blowing away the sprayed liquid. Also the bees, during high winds, trees are flying worse.
The damaging effects of winds can be prevented by installing tall tree covers from the windward side, such as poplars, birch or spruce trees.
In a single-row cover, trees are planted at a distance of 2,5 do 3 m. Shields composed of two species of trees perform their tasks better; one tall and the other lower, whose branches stop the winds blowing low above the ground. Hazel can be a good complement to poplar or birch in the cover, elderberry, lilac itp. The covers are planted at a distance 12-15 m from the nearest row of trees.
The effective range of the draft shields depends on their height. The beneficial effects of the cover are still felt at a distance equal to 20-25 times its height. So if the orchard is very large, then the covers are installed not only along its border, but also inside the orchard, in increments 300-400 meters. Installing windbreaks is usually necessary in hill-top orchards as well as in coastal areas .
