Short rotation coppice of willow and shelterbelt effect

For environmental reasons short rotation coppice (willow grown at high density and harvested every three years) could be grown in strips or windbreaks, but this leads to complex interactions with neighbouring food crops. Trials have been conducted in Belgium since 1994. Depending on the crops and the height of the windbreak, food crops were negatively or positively affected by windbreaks within 3 to 6 h (distances equivalent to 3 to 6 times the height of the windbreak), but the effect is rather small at a level of the entire field. Regarding microclimate, willow windbreaks increase temperature leeward and reduce wind velocity up to 20 h. Temperature and wind effects close to the windbreak seem to indicate that turbulences are occurring.