Trees, Shrubs and Conifers: Need suggestions for erosion control, 1 by spartacusaby

spartacusaby wrote:
We moved into an old home and property that had been neglected for many years, and are trying to gradually wrestle it back into shape. The front perimeter of the property is ringed by old pines and a couple old oaks that, unfortunately, sit very close to a steep drop-off. The edge has clearly been eroding for years, and is continuing to do so. We have high winds here, and several of the pines have already lost their tops in windstorms. Several of the trees have a large portion of their roots exposed and hanging over the drop with no soil; we had to take down an old oak last fall because more than half of its roots were exposed in midair: sitting duck for the next windstorm.

This ring of trees is important to us for privacy, shade, and just because they're lovely old trees; but I fear we're inevitably going to lose most or all of them to erosion. I'd like to plant a new ring of trees a bit further from the edge, both in hope of slowing the erosion and also to provide privacy if we do lose the old trees over time. I'm thinking a mix of fast-growing conifers to provide year-round privacy, along with some deciduous trees for some welcome additional fall color and deeper rooting for erosion help. I don't feel I have the experience to make the best decisions on tree selection, how far from the edge to plant, etc., and am hoping for some advice and suggestions. I'll post several photos to show you the situation. Here's a part of the ring of perimeter pines.