Snow fences: Do they still serve a purpose?

Last summer, while driving through the vast open spaces surrounding Denver International Airport (DIA), I was impressed by the equally vast array of snow fences, which seemed to stretch for miles. (Later, after driving up 14,200 foot Pikes Peakbelieve it or notI caught a shot of an isolated snow shower during late summer,snow fence

After seeing so many miles of snow fences, I began to wonder whether these decidedly low-tech, old-fashioned structures were as valuable today, in this age of technology, as they were in the past. Although I knew the answer would be yes otherwise they wouldnt still be built I wanted to investigate the cost-benefit ratio of the fences in serious snow country. But before expanding on the present-day utility of snow fences, it might be worthwhile to provide a brief history of how snow-clearing efforts evolved in the U.S.

( University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service - A typical snow fence.) Snow fences are actually an ancient technology. Archaeologists have discovered what they believe is a 20-foot section of snow fencing near Stonehenge (circa 3000 B.C.) on Englands Salisbury Plain, an indication of what the English climate might have been like at that time.

Geologist/geophysicist Dr. Garry Denke believes the fence was used to channel drifting snow in predictable ways, possibly for water storage.

On the other hand, theres also a theory that the fence may have been constructed to prevent prying peasant eyes from viewing ceremonial Stonehenge activities.

During the colonial era, deep snows often crippled mail service and overall commerce for daysand even weeksat a time. Although snow-clearing ordinances werent yet in widespread use, cities and towns generally took A September snow shower from near the top of Pikes Peak matters into their own hands, clearing drifts so the sleighs could get through.

Ranchers learned that by erecting snow fences near the windward side of roadways and other areas they wanted to shield, significant savings in time and money could be achieved by minimizing snow-clearing operations.

Later, despite technological advances such as the Barber-Green Snowloader (introduced in Chicago in 1920), which plowed, scooped and dumped the snow into haulers, snow fences still maintained their popularity. At small airports, for example, runway-clearing costs could be greatly reduced by minimizing snow depth in critical areas. Overall, the sheer simplicity of snow fences struck a chord with farmers, ranchers, highway workers and the general public.

Today, in conjunction with many new and ingenious snow-clearing devices, such as the Next Generation Snow Plow, the Single-Lane-Obstructing Rotary Snow Plow, etc., snow fences have retained their popularity. In fact, theyve even been improved upon, as the Japanese have developed a blower snow fence, which increases air flow in the area of the fence, resulting in even less blowing snow on the roadway.

( University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service - A September snow shower from near the top of Pikes Peak in Colorado.) So what exactly is a snow fence and how does it accomplish its task?

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Snow fences: Do they still serve a purpose?