April 23, 2002

LINCOLN, Neb. — Blowing dust in parts of Nebraska this dry spring is a timely reminder of the importance of field windbreaks, a University of Nebraska forestry specialist said.

Field windbreaks can help reduce wind speed, wind erosion and damage to crops from wind-blown soil, said Scott Josiah, NU forester. However, many of Nebraska's windbreaks seem to be disappearing, making the state more vulnerable to dust storms.

"The number of windbreaks has declined both in size and in length," Josiah said. "A lot of landowners have bulldozed many windbreaks due to pivot irrigation systems, larger farms and larger farming equipment."

Once flourishing windbreaks planted in the 1930s are beginning to deteriorate and need to be replaced, he said. A lot of windbreaks that were multiple rows in the 1930s can be replaced with only one or two rows of trees that will provide adequate wind protection, the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources forester said.

The shrinking number of field windbreaks is a concern, Josiah said.

"It just takes one dust storm to make us realize in a very short time we can lose a lot of topsoil," Josiah said. "We don't want to go back to the dirty '30s. They called them the dirty '30s for a reason. People may have forgotten."

In the 1930s, the United States experienced a decade-long drought that transformed the prairie states into an enormous dust bowl.

Josiah said the state is becoming more vulnerable to wind erosion compared to a few decades ago. Last week, dust storms were responsible for a 100-mile-long dust cloud, traffic accidents due to poor visibility, closing of parts of Interstate 80 and people reporting the sky looked like nighttime, Josiah said.

"This is a serious indicator that something isn't right in the way we are dealing with the land," he said. "Not only is this a blow to the environment, but if the weather ever changes it will seriously affect soil conversation and crop yields." Some global warming models show the Great Plains becoming warmer and drier, Josiah said.

NU windbreak ecologist Jim Brandle said, "We need to get away from the idea that putting productive land into a windbreak will lose you money.

"Farmers don't have to take a lot of land out of production to achieve wind protection of their crops and soils," he said.

Field windbreaks need only be one or two rows of fairly narrow conifers or tall hardwoods, he said. Still, many farmers see windbreaks as being unproductive.

Brandle said even though farmers don't see a cash return immediately, in six to eight years windbreaks can provide erosion control and increase crop yields. Protecting a 160-acre quarter section requires a windbreak taking up only 5 percent of the field, he said.

Windbreaks stop moisture from evaporating into the air and in dry or wet years can provide a 10 to 15 percent increase in corn and soybean yields, Brandle said. The increase is higher for other crops like wheat, sugar beets and alfalfa.

Windbreaks also are beneficial to wildlife and the environment. More importantly, the acres planted to field windbreaks qualify for CRP payments, helping to offset the costs of land planted to the windbreak. For more information on this program visit a local USDA-NRCS conservationist.

For more information on field windbreaks, consult NU Cooperative Extension Circular EC1778,Field Windbreaks, available at local extension offices and on the Web.

04/23/02-SA

Jim Brandle - Ph.D.
School of Natural Resource Sciences
Professor
(402)472-6626

Scott Josiah - Ph.D.
School of Natural Resource Sciences
State Extension Forester
(402) 472-6511

Sandi Alswager Karstens
IANR News and Photography
(402) 472-3030

Department: School of Natural Resource Sciences