Question
I live in Eastern North Carolina and want a tree to form a north wind Block.  I was wondering how deep the Thuja tree's roots go and if it could stand up to a hurricane?  Also is it true that if you plant them in a row they will only grow to 20 foot tall and 5 foot wide.  Thanks for the info.  Have a great night.  Peggy

Answer
The Thuja Green Giant is the perfect fast growing evergreen for a privacy hedge or wind screen. Plant every 5-6 feet for a thick barrier.

You can easily trim them once a year to your desired height. Left unpruned- Thuja Green Giants planted in rows can reach as high as 20-30 feet.

This is a tough tree and will not easily suffer damage from high wind. The roots extend out 1 1/2 times the width of the foliage and will stand up as well as any tree to the hurricane winds. The main problem would be the amount of foliage that may act like a sail. A trees ability to stay up during a hurricane depends a lot on the amount of rainfall before the wind hit and the speed of the movement of the line of wind. IF it rains a good deal before the winds hit the ground is wet and the tree is easier uprooted. I think you would get more breakage than up rooting. Since they do not grow tall they are not considered a hazard from the wind--as far as the tree hitting a building.