Vegetable screen, optimal width

At the entrance”A vegetable screen is not a screenshot” we talk about how many species a plant screen should have to fulfill a biological function and not just a landscape one. The fact is that when a plant screen is projected, we have the opportunity to add elements to the landscape that in many cases are very scarce. The agricultural environment of much of Spain is very uniform. The process of mechanization and land consolidation has ended borders, groves and even scattered trees.

Slender pine fencing.

The well-known function of the vegetable screen

If we have a medium-term vision, screens will constitute important elements in the landscape that will help many species for which the agrarian environment is currently of little use, due to lack of shelters or breeding grounds. Trigueros, fringílida or turdists can benefit greatly if the plant screens surrounding photovoltaic panels and other installations are properly designed. Of course many arthropods, mammals or herpetos, will also be favored.

The ideal dimensions

In addition to the plant species to be used, we must take into account the size of the screen, in length and width. The length we always recommend is the length of the fence surrounding the photovoltaic plant or installation. Sometimes, it is not viable, but it is desirable that the entire plant ends up surrounded by the screen. We recommend this, for better integration into the landscape and to encourage the screen to serve as a corridor for the terrestrial fauna of the area.

Width is a key issue for the functionality of the plant screen. Sometimes the width is determined by the availability of land and when the deployment is very tight it cannot be designed with any other criteria than taking advantage of a narrow strip of land. But when we can choose the width of the plant screen of our photovoltaic plant, we will have to choose 5 meters.

The wider the better?

We could think that the best thing would be to think that the larger the width the better the screen. And it would be true. But not for all species. Surely for typical forest species a screen of 5 meters is small. But if a photovoltaic (or other type) plant is already inserted in a forest environment, the screen is that medium in which the photovoltaic plant is included. In these cases, with the screens we will try to hide the photovoltaic plant, but the benefits it provides as an element of the landscape are not remarkable. However, in agricultural environments, we must optimize this function of plant screens.

In agricultural environments, on the other hand, small patches of vegetation are sufficient and more suitable than large ones, to be used as feeding, shelter or reproduction areas, frequently or occasionally.

With a width of 5 meters, the screens offer suitable conditions for the reproduction of squirrels, willows, totovías, partridges or blackbirds. And when winter comes, without a doubt, this is when these elements will have the greatest value because they are used by many species that seek resources in agricultural environments, either in migration or as wintering.

Width is a key issue for the functionality of the plant screen.