[ellied]

I've been here 12 years now and in that time I've had to take down a few of the big conifers that were planted when the house was built (on old railway yard) in 1972/3 so they're around 40 years old.  The first to go was a massive leylandii, half of which split off in a gale a few years back, I've since removed 3 more leylandii and 2 pine-ish types, not sure the specific but there are a variety of these all round the garden border with the field, presumably planted as windbreaks.  Except now high winds damage them and they are more risk than protection.

The row just west of the house was clearly topped in the year before I moved in but there is another decade's skinny growth above that now and my ideal would be to have them all out for firewood at whatever rate I can afford the work.  But the prevailing wind is from the west and tho I'd love a clear view to the paddock beyond (and in the other directions, they do offer some protection so I am thinking whether I could put up a lighter, less dangerous replacement?  As ponies graze the far side I would prefer to avoid conifers at all, was wondering about growing a willow hedge and coppicing it but that might give less light/visibility than the conifer trunks?  Hawthorn/stock hedging would be great but probably not much use to the bungalow in terms of wind.  Poplars at the furthest field margin about 100m away to the west?  Would that work to protect both field and paddock and give me visibility? 

Ideas?  Something I could use for firewood would be good but I've probably a decade's worth of winters wood still standing so not the only consideration

[happygolucky]

If its far enough away from your home, I would plant willow, we want to do that ourself when we move but we took 3 big Leylandi down that were about the same age, they had been lopped some time ago and the branches were more lightly to fall and do damage, they gave us lots of shelter and privacy but now they give  us fire wood...we have open fires so once they dry out they are fine!! I notice a lot of forest localy has been planted with willow, its works on a 3 year cycle so you could keep planting and keep cropping and I think they are thin so easy to chop!!

[Bramblecot]

If you are planting will be careful with the variety you choose.  The supposed willow 'hedge' in our field is twice the height of the bungalow .  It has been just as bad to cut down as the conifers but it is lousy for burning.  I'd go for hazel - can be coppiced or laid or left to grow.  I feed it to the sheep in autumn and when the spring growth comes through they love that too.  Wonderful hedge, burns well and no thorns

[spandit]

You can cut willow down to a stump in winter and it will grow back in Spring. The one I cut down last year is about 7' high at the moment. Burns fine once dry, wouldn't call it lousy.

[Beewyched]

I'd go for the willow option - the fast growing type.  Grows up to 3 metres here & can be managed as a living fence (cut back to base & weave new growth), also makes good firewood     
Then, if you've got the room, maybe another internal layer of productive natives - crab apples, damsons, rowan, blackthorn ...

[ellied]

OK will plan for willow - I got a variety of cuttings from someone on here last year and some are still in places I can retrieve them or get new cuttings from.  I assume the round leaved ones may be pussy willow so will leave them out and focus on the long thin green leaved ones - yellowish stems?   I've a browner version in the garden too, going mad and in need of clipped so could shove some of those clippings in the ground too.

Am I best to wait til autumn or plant now so they can get going before winter?  I want them as winter wind shelter so wouldn't want to cut back in winter but in spring or summer - does that change things?  I have an open fire too hence the conifer logs are fine given a fireguard, any wood would therefore have 6 months to dry at least before use.

Are all varieties safe for stock?  The stock fence is due to be replaced later this year so it'll be protected until it gets to fence height but I don't want to plant something toxic, I found out the hard way about ponies and dying leylandii

I like the idea of an edible hedge - in another place tho actually, the edges of my orchard..  I have crab apple and damson trees but would love rowans and hazel, blackthorn I can get no bother too.  I'm overrun with elder so might dig up a couple of those and include them too..

[Fleecewife]

I don't think blackthorn is good for stock and it's invasive and leaves long scratches on your arms which can take months to heal.  Mirabelle would be better - same early blossom, some thorns, useable fruit, totally hardy, and can become either a sturdy tree or be kept cut as a hedge.
 
Most of our hedges are mixed, with an outer row of hawthorn to provide a dense and eventually stockproof barrier, and can be laid when large enough.  The inner row (hedges are best planted in double, staggered rows) to include holly (evergreen), bird cherry, hazel, rowan, hornbeam esp if your ground is wet, oak, Scots pine as occasional standards along the row, beech which holds onto its leaves a bit so gives some winter cover, field maple, spindle.  Balm of Gillead gives a beautiful scent which carries on the wind esp before the leaves come out - keep it trimmed though because it can become a tall tree - it's perfectly hardy.  I add some roses at intervals, dog rose and the Scottish rose which is a pale yellow with black hips (I think that's the one  ).  We also have included hawthorn in the inner side of the row.  I avoid elder as although it has lovely flowers and useful berries, it takes up a lot of space but is short-lived, so leaves a gap after about 15 years.  We have several elders around, but not in the hedge.  We also have ash in the hedge, but because of the die-back disease it's probably best to avoid it at the moment.  I really enjoyed planning the species we used in the hedges, and the proportions.  Best planted in winter obviously.
 
For your willow hedge, perhaps you could plant an edible one about a metre away; it grows more slowly than willow and would be protected from the wind by it.  We found it difficult to establish anything on our west-facing march because of the howling wind, but it seems to be happier now.  Once that bit grew and was established, you could pollard your willows at hedge-top height and include them as a top layer.  I would use goat willow or similar as it grows quickly but is sturdy, unlike crack willow which does just what its name says  .  The fields of willow you see are for biomass to feed boilers and power stations.