Trees belong in Nebraska

Recently I read a social media post by a farmer who was lamenting the existence of a line of trees along one of his fields. I suppose he felt these few stragglers (he included a photo) were in the way of his big machinery or throwing a bit of shade on a couple rows of his crops. "Trees don't belong in Nebraska," he wrote, I think without tongue in cheek.

He couldn't be more wrong. Let us instead count the ways trees, in particular those planted by design in rows — windbreaks, shelterbelts, hedgerows, and living snow fences — contribute to agriculture and life in farm country.

A lifeline for settlers

Tree planting was often the first act of conservation by the first settlers on the plains. The first plantings would provide fuel wood, lumber for house building and fence posts, beauty for barren farmsteads, and protection for fields and orchards.

• READ MORE: 5 Tips for planting a windbreak

On our farm in Nebraska, the oldest windbreak likely was planted in the 1940s in an effort to combat the kind of soil erosion that caused the Dust Bowl. In 1935, the Prairie State Forestry Project began a campaign to plant trees, millions of which were planted over seven years, adding up to some 18,600 miles of windbreak trees. Nebraskans led this effort, planting nearly one quarter of these windbreaks.

The oldest on our property, planted by my grandparents, was always called "the habitat," suggesting one of its main purposes was to provide shelter for wildlife. To us grandchildren, it was always the most exotic part of the farm, a spot where you might jump a pheasant, rabbit, or deer, where there were wild plums in dense thickets that dared you to enter at your own risk. The hike across open pasture to this far corner of the farm promised a place of refuge, a break from the summer sun and wind, and a bit of adventure inside its domain.

• READ MORE: John Walter: 100 Bird species on our farm and counting

Our grandparents' farmstead featured shelterbelts on three sides. The mix of pines and deciduous trees created a microenvironment, sheltering the homestead, outbuildings, and livestock. Remnants of these trees survive some 80-plus years later, despite two devastating tornados that took the farm house and outbuildings in the 1980s.

In more recent times, we have had planted several more shelterbelts. One of my finest memories of spending time at the farm is when my uncle Bob and I planted trees after the farm enrolled a field in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) for the first time. It extended my grandparent's habitat planting, more than doubling its length. That same day, native grasses were planted on an adjoining CRP field, and a gentle rain overnight gave all the new plantings a fighting chance to get a good catch.

Trees are good for crops

Trees belong in Nebraska. They create microclimates, shelter in the storm, in effect, for all living things, including human beings. As living snow fences, they make roads safe to drive. Around a farmstead, they protect protect people, livestock, and buildings. Trees in a row bring beauty, creating a life-giving mosaic on the land. New, stripped-down windbreaks can co-exist with modern crop production, experts say.

According to a University of Nebraska report, "While a windbreak requires that some land be removed from crop production, it results in a net increase in total crop yield and crop quality. Overall, the net economic return is positive, input costs are reduced, and environmental conditions are improved."

• READ MORE: How the Conservation Reserve Program can address climate change

For a detailed description of the many benefits of windbreaks, check out this excellent overview from the National Agroforestry Center: Windbreaks.

Going forward, shelterbelts are being viewed as a "climate-smart" practice to combat global warming. In 2021, USDA announced an expansion of the CRP with new incentives, including for tree planting. One wonders if some of the old lessons and sense of purpose of the Prairie States Forest Project of the Dust Bowl days could be resurrected.

Planning and planting for the future

But questions remain for me in how to proceed with our plantings. For example, several non-native trees planted 20-some years ago are dying from a disease that is prevalent now in Nebraska. The old habitat has dead trees. Should they be replaced? For both, is renovation of the windbreaks — including replanting — viable? And if so, how? What will be the cost and who will do it? If we were to plant new windbreaks, what would be the best design and mix of species? What are current best practices for weed control and irrigation?

• READ MORE: Hedgerows for wildlife

Last year, Kim Slezak, a forester for the Nebraska Forest Service, toured the farm to evaluate the windbreaks. She created this walk-through video of the oldest trees, the habitat, and the newer adjoining CRP windbreak. Her comments and advice have been invaluable as we consider our management options.

For more information on natural resource conservation, visit Birdlandfarm.com.