Question for those that know trees

[hypedanish]

Zone 5-6 homeowner here in Idaho. Bought this house 3 years ago and I’m looking for a few different tree options to run along my backyard fence line to provide privacy. To give perspective, my east neighbor has a 40ft deciduous tree on the east side that has beetles but will likely last another 5+ years. South side neighbor has 30ft ponderosa. The SW and W portion has 2x 50ft+ maples. Great for shade but I’m tired of staring at my neighbors. I bought this house for the backyard to raise our kids in. This future tree section will only get 4-5 hours of sun in the summer. I’m hoping to plant columnar, crown bearing, broadleaf evergreens along the fence line that will thrive in partial sun and be okay once the neighbors beetle tree dies off. Hoping for max height of 10-15 ft. Am I doomed or do I have to go with a hedge of some sort?

 

[Joao]

If you want year round privacy, evergreens are the way to go. Arborvitae (Green Giant or Emerald) do well in zone 5-6 and grow into a solid screen pretty quickly. They handle Idaho winters fine too. Only thing is deer love them, so if that's an issue where you are it might be worth looking at spruce instead.