Ammonia Control for Animal
Housing Systems with Dry Manure - Landscaping
| Pro |
Con |
| Visually pleasing |
Time to establish or costly to plant established trees |
| Traps multiple gases and odors |
Potential to have reduced effectiveness over time |
Landscaping may reduce the emission of housing odors, as well
as odors generated by other components of the livestock operation,
beyond the property line. Landscaping acts as a permeable filter
for particle emissions, slowing the particulate movement and diluting
the concentrations of emissions. Trees and shrubs act as biofilters
for odorous compounds that are attached to fine particles. By landscaping
with both a treeline and a row of shrubs, particles at various
heights within a plume can be adsorbed. To maximize absorption,
landscape materials with large surface areas are recommended. Trees
and shrubs placed around the facility should not impede building
ventilation and therefore are often located on the property lines.
Costs associated with landscaping will vary
depending on selected trees and shrubs, and on perimeter size. The
estimate of a shelterbelt planted around a 3000-head hog facility
using "higher" cost trees
($25 per shrub or tree), calculated as $0.68 per pig for one year.
Amortized over 20 years at 5 percent, and including maintenance costs,
the estimate is just $0.09 per pig. In addition to acting as a natural
filtration system, landscaping has the additional benefits of being
aesthetically pleasing to the eye and of restricting the view of
the operation. So, while documented effectiveness on emissions is
scarce, the value of creating a facility that is pleasant to the
eye cannot be underestimated. However, the time between the planting
of immature trees and the time when those trees are large enough
to be effective must be considered before producers decide on the
best practice for their systems. In Iowa , this time lag may be as
long as seven years, depending on the planting varieties. Extension Publications
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