Wow jen912, that is a toughie. Most wind breaks that are effective are 3 to 5 layers of various trees and shrubs in staggered rows. My MIL had one on her farm and it occupied 30 ft or more. I have a very effective privacy screen on both sides of my city back yard, but it only blocks the wind in a marginal way. These beds are 5 to 15 ft wide and contain a mix of evergreens, shrubs and small trees. All these living things require maintence too.

I'm wondering if you have given any thought to other types of blocks? I've seen some unusual and lovely things done with tall bits of fences set at an angle. Then there are arches, columns, and other architectual things. Our local library has tons of books about non-plant items for the garden. I've even seen chain-link fencing prettied up with bamboo screens, trellising, etc.
Good luck in your quest. Pondy

Thanks for the follow-up Pondy. I think I may be asking for the impossible. We did plant two nice Green Ashes two years ago, I'm hoping they will supply some wind break when they mature, they're about 20-25 feet tall now. It would just be nice to eat a dinner on our deck without anchoring everything down or feel like we're sitting in a people zoo. Maybe I should be investing in wind turbines instead. Thanks for your help, I may consider looking at non-plant options.

Thanks!
Jen

Jen,
I just moved to Northern Illinois, I have two acres of what used to be corn/bean field. We are the second stage of a country subdivision, so I drove around to see what worked for others.
The spruces work well. The Siberian Spruce is a fast grower, too! I saw arbs on sale for $14. in Rockford, so I bought a few as an experiment. They did not burn. Not even the one on the NorthWest side!!
The Black Pine is as wide as it is tall and it's needles do not suffer burn...I will be putting some of those in, for sure!
Good luck, I hope I helped a little!