When planting a windbreak or privacy screen you should position the trees at least twelve feet away from your home or foundation. You will also want to stay at least six feet away from patios, fences, and other structures. If planting under a utility line you will want to use trees or shrubs that will not get too tall. Also, pay attention to their width at maturity and space your new plants almost as far apart as their mature width. (See the accompanying table below.) Don’t forget that you will need to water your trees until they are well established (probably several months), so be sure to have a water source in place like a Tree Gator, an irrigation system, or an established watering schedule. If near a road where salt might be used be certain to check for salt tolerance. The following are suggestions of fast growing evergreen trees.

• Thuja ‘Green Giant’ makes one of the very best fast growing windbreaks. These beauties can put on 3-5 feet of height per year, reaching a mature height of 30-40 feet. ‘Green Giant’ also can be used for a low hedge-like windbreak. It can be kept short and compact by regular pruning, and it even tolerates shearing. ‘Green Giant’ is adaptable to most soil types, and tolerant of drought. Thuja ‘Green Giant’ is hardy in USDA Zones 5-9: Almost everywhere in the continental United States, except southern Florida and the northern Great Plains. ‘Green Giant’ is a low maintenance tree, accepting a wide variety of soil types, tolerant of shade when young, rarely eaten by deer, and little bothered by disease or insect pests. It withstands strong winds, ice and snow. One potential drawback: Green Giant does not do well in salty soils or coastal areas receiving salt spray. 

• Norway spruce and Colorado spruce are also excellent choices for windbreaks, as are Japanese cedar, Italian cypress, American arborvitae, and Canadian hemlock. Note that Canadian hemlock tolerates shade better than most conifers, but is not suitable for hot climates. Leyland cypresstree grows fast to 50-60 feet, and quickly fills the gaps between individual trees spaced 5-8 feet apart. For really big windbreaks, consider Leyland Cypress and Excelsa Cedar (a cultivar of giant arborvitae), both of which can get up to 20’ wide. Douglas Fir and giant arborvitae get even bigger, growing as wide as forty feet at maturity.

• The picturesque Emerald Green Arborvitae is recommended for shorter windbreaks because the growth rate doesn’t get more than 12 feet tall and 2-3’ wide.
• When you are making such a large investment I would consider a soil test to know what type of tree might be best. Your OSU Lorain county agricultural extension may direct you for soil testing.
• Lorain County Office
  Address: 42110 Russia RoadCity: ElyriaState: OhioZipcode: 44035Phone: <personal data hidden>Fax: <personal data hidden>Link: Visit the Lorain County Office websiteCategory: County OfficeStaff Directory: http://lorain.osu.edu/about/staff
  

Hope this helps.