Highway Privacy Issue

15 years ago

We live in a place that had the most wonderful privacy from a national highway (2 lane) behind our home. The road is about 100 yards away, but at the top of a slope in our back 'yard'. When the tree's were in bloom, it looked a lot like a band-shelter - Like Red Rock or the Hollywood Bowl.

We were secure enough with the privacy year round that I began, and hope to finish soon, 1,940 sf deck behind our house (hence my user name).

Anyway, a week ago all of a sudden I see utility markings go up on the vacant property that is behind our line. We Freaked - but found out it was the water company putting in new lines for sewage from a development on the other side of the highway. That was a relief.

We came home from work earlier this week to find that they had felled at least 20 trees in excess of 100' from the area between us and the highway. I am heartbroken about the trees as much as our loss of shielding. Some of these trunks I am seeing are 10 or 12 feet in diameter. Certainly older than any of us.

The deck is primarily for our grandkids. We are now hearing from friends traveling the highway that they can see we are building something in the back yard that looks like a helicopter landing pad - what is it.

Finally getting to the reason for this post is:

What can I (she only supervises) plant that will grow tall, dense, fast and stay green in sometimes below 0 winter weather and not wonderful soil - very acidic and full of small coal pebbles) as a privacy 'wall'?

I think that they eventually need to grow to around 40 - 50 feet. The area that I think I need to fill in is about 35-40' wide.

Thanks for listening!

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Comments (8)

Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
15 years ago
What can I (she only supervises) plant that will grow tall, dense, fast and stay green in sometimes below 0 winter weather and not wonderful soil - very acidic and full of small coal pebbles) as a privacy 'wall'?

Bummer. Sorry. In Zone 5? Sheesh. What was already there. What might be helpful is basic information about where you are.

Dan
iforgotitsonevermind
15 years ago
This is the reason the leyland cypress was invented. Not that anyone will recommend a leyland cypress. Sorry for the loss of the trees.
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hired help is using the computer? that is just asking for trouble passwords may be a worry but also you have no idea what kinds of sites they may be going to and so many sites today are just loaded with infections waiting to happen. I never let anyone use my pc, if I do they use a separate account that is a very limited user account where they have no access to the admin functions. My advice is if you want to let this happen (I would not) then lock down your admin account with a very very strong non-sense password that is a combo of letters and numbers. Then create a very limited user account that is for them to use. That way they have no access to any of your passwords. When email programs do that save the password it was because at some point it or the browser was told to do so that is a very bad idea especially for email. I do not even do that on my own pc. I assume this is xp? does it have a good valid updated antivirus program on it? does it have a firewall on it? I would be running some scans on it including malwarebytes if people you do not know have had access to your admin account. Setup Limited Users in Windows XP Why use a standard user account instead of an administrator account? Windows XP: Working With User Accounts - Part 1 that one continues on to part 2 good info there. when I saw a strong password I mean something like this The first 3 numbers of your phone number then the first initals of your children or family members things you will remember then add on some of these %$*& so that it is at least 8 characters long and something you will remember but no one else would guess. NEVER use a real word, pet name, or birthday. Get that admin locked down with that kind of password and do not give it to anyone let everyone else use the limited user account.
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I'd still have something on the bedroom windows in order to make it sure the room was dark at night, and to provide a level of dimness during the day if I wanted to take a nap. It might be a room-darkening roller blind that would pretty much disappear when it was up, but there'd be something on the window. Any first floor bedrooms or bathrooms would also have something to provide privacy. Even if random passers by aren't able to look in those windows, family members who are outside might be able to. My cousin's first floor bathroom has nothing on the windows and I've checked and you can get an eyeful if you are in the right place in the back yard at the wrong time. It doesn't bother her family, but it does bother me. Other rooms might need something for light control during the day--a TV room might need something over the windows to control glare. A large room with high ceilings and a hard surface floor might need more fabric in the room to prevent an echo-y feeling and window treatments would help with that. And there's the fact that the right window treatments can aid in keeping the house cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, helping to save energy and reducing energy costs. So I guess for me, window treatments where they aren't needed for privacy would be on a case by case basis, because there are reasons other than privacy to need something on your windows.
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You can always try what one of my mother's coworkers did - she was divorced and wanted to feel more secure, but had kids so was concerned that if she had a gun an accident would happen. So she compromised and got a shotgun/rifle/whatever with one of those bolt-actions (do they have shotguns with bolt actions?). Anyway, whatever it was, it was the kind of gun that makes that distinctive click-clunk sound, but she didn't ever get shells/bullets for it. If she thought she heard a noise she'd click-clunk the gun, figuring that if it was a potential intruder she'd heard they weren't going to stick around to find out whether it was really loaded or not. Obviously I am not au courant on my firearms. The only kind of guns I've really ever shot much are flintlock rifles; they're really fun to shoot at the range but wouldn't be very practical for home protection. "Hey, can you hold on a couple minutes while I load this thing? Damn, the powder was damp, wait a minute.... oh crap, now I've got to turn the flint because it's not sparking... Hey, come back with my TV!" :)
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Since you do not want to pursue legal remedies(and I understand your reluctance to do so), you will need to be creative. And patient. However, the watering could possibly be detrimental to your property and contacting the local property codes office should be a good idea(depending on how the codes office operates). Having a complaint on file should also give you some more solid background should the situation escalate. I'd build a trellis that is adjustable. And one that is solid enough she cannot see through it easily. A basket weave pattern of cedar lathing(thin strips of cedar) on a cedar frame, for instance. Leave three feet open on the bottom and use stainless steel pins(so they do not rust and stain the cedar) to raise and position the top at 8'. Or, build the trellis supports U shaped(making the trellis move like a window) and simply put 2' removable supports to hold it in the 8' height. That way, if she complains, and the codes folks come out, you can instantly be compliant by simply lowering the trellis. Plus, you have the prior complaint(and a couple would not hurt) to back up your solution.
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brandon7 TN_zone7
15 years ago
I'm sure there are better alternatives than Leylands. Now we just need to know generally where the OP lives.

Big Deck, I had a similar situation a few years ago. I was at work and got a call that someone was cutting down my woods. I freaked out and got home as fast as I could. Unfortunately, the logging crew had been at it all day. When I got home, there was literally just one single tree left. The people next to the guy that owns the property behind me had had a small limb fall on their home from one of my neighbors trees. They called my neighbor and wanted him to pay for it. My neighbor decided to have his whole woods cut (if you can imagine that overkill). The crew he hired to do the work apparently didn't realize that there was such a thing as property lines, so they just kept cutting until they ran out of trees. My neighbor was apologetic and didn't even really know what to say, but what could he do? I finally ended up settling with him for enough money to replant a screen of trees to hide the view. That was a few years back, and now the woods is starting to grow back.
big_deck
Original Author
15 years ago
Dan,

We are in Morgantown, (north central) WV - about 70 miles as the crow flies from Pittsburgh, PA (the arm-pit of the world - maybe only second to Los Angeles) as we Mountaineers feel :-)

The cut trees are in abundance in this area, but best I can tell what was cut down (stumps removed) were walnut, poplar, cherry, oak, mahogany and pine.

I can't plant on where they cut as it is not our property, but I can plant on our line and inside it.

I do have a floundering weeping cherry in the area that will probably do great now that it has more sunlight, but the objective is to get the area private again before the 3 year old goes off to college!

I want to put in Lombardy Poplar Hedge and/or Green Giant Arborvitae, but the wife (who I refer to as Mrs. No - she always says No first then I go ahead and do what I asked and eventually she is ok with it) thinks they are ugly trees.

So, the question is still, what will grow quick and lush?
iforgotitsonevermind
15 years ago
You had mahogany growing there?!!?
LOL. Try again.

Lombardy poplars are junk. If you want something more desirable plant tulip trees. They grow 4-6' a year and I'm pretty sure they are native to that area. I think you'll be best off replacing what was there. Eventually it will look like nothing ever happened.
Additionally, Red oaks, loblolly pine, ash, sycamore and sweetgums are your fast growers and should be fairly easy for you to find at nurseries. Unlike lombardy poplars, these will live longer than 5 years.
Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
15 years ago
Quick and lush are mutually exclusive. I agree with iforgotitsonevermind.

Dan
big_deck
Original Author
15 years ago
iforgotitsonevermind - what made you be smart-ass'ed about "You had mahogany growing there?!!? LOL. Try again."

Without spouting off, maybe you should Google Mahogany Tree's in West Virginia and see where it ranks in the mahogany growing states in the US?

The utility board has given me permission to remove the mahogany logs and I plan to have them milled. They were just going to either leave them or burn them in the rest of the 'forest'.

Just trying to decide if I want to give up my side of the garage for a couple of years while it dries :-)

Thinking about asking them about a cherry tree too. Wife and I measured on at over 150+' this past weekend - but then there is no question that I would have to rent a storage unit or something.
brandon7 TN_zone7
15 years ago
Iforgotitsonevermind's remark could have been more politely worded, but I don't understand your claim either. Mahogany, Swietenia macrophylla and Swietenia mahogani, is hardy in zones 9, 10, and 11. Trees in the related Khaya and Entandrophragma genera are also tropicals. Most of West Virginia is in zones 5 and 6. Are you referring to some other type of tree? Your recommended google search didn't shed any light on your claim when I tried it. Can you elaborate?

Highway Privacy Issue

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Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)

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Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)

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