Shelter Efficiency of Various Shelterbelt Configurations: A Wind Tunnel Study

Abstract

The construction of protective forests in Nursultan is key to reducing near-surface wind speeds and snowstorm effects in urban areas. This study analyzed the effects of the number of plant rows and spacing of the shelterbelts on the flow field around protective forests to evaluate the wind protection benefits of the existing configuration of the shelterbelt in Nursultan and guide the construction of protective forests. We measured the airflow fields of four shelterbelts with different numbers of rows, seven double pure shelterbelts, and double mixed shelterbelts of arbors and shrubs with different spacings. The results showed that the airflow field around the shelterbelts can be divided into five characteristic regions based on shelter efficiency: a deceleration region before the shelterbelt, acceleration region above the canopy, strong deceleration region in the canopy layer, deceleration region behind the shelterbelt, and recovery region behind the shelterbelt. In terms of windproof ability, the wind protection benefits of a shelterbelt with six rows are the best in a single shelterbelt. Behind the shelterbelt, the wind protection benefits of double pure shelterbelts are greater than that of double mixed shelterbelts of arbor and shrub. On the contrary, the windbreak benefits of the latter are stronger than those of the former between the two shelterbelts.

The Relationships between Root Traits and the Soil Erodibility of Farmland Shelterbelts in the Bashang Region of China

“…This led to the establishment of the intrinsic properties of the soil and wind erosion index model equation [17,18]. Some studies have indicated that stems and leaves of vegetation could effectively reduce wind strength against the soil in addition to holding sand [19][20][21]. It has also been reported that the rate of soil erosion decreases with increased grass coverage [22].…”