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Plains Farms Need Trees a H Istory of the U.S The Rendezvous Winter 2017 Plains Farms Need Trees A H istory of the U.S. Forest Service and Agroforestry by Andy Mason and Sarah Karle Mary Peterson’s article “There’s a animal production systems to services we depend on from National Forest in Nebraska” in create environmental, economic, agricultural lands. the Fall 2016 issue of The and social benefits.” In addition Rendezvous provides a great to windbreaks (includes These services include improved segue to explore another piece of shelterbelts), we recognize four water and air quality, greenhouse lesser known Forest Service other categories of agroforestry gas mitigation especially through history that also originated in the practices/systems in the U.S.: carbon sequestration, critical Great Plains. If you know alley cropping, forest farming, habitat for pollinators and other anything about the Forest riparian forest buffers, and wildlife and aquatic species, and Service, you know that our silvopasture. Used early on to to diversify production. Today, responsibility to manage national protect crop production and soil the Forest Service has national forests and grasslands began in health, these practices are now agroforestry science and earnest with the agency’s designed to provide many other technology transfer founding in 1905. As a history responsibilities, with leadership buff (or if you worked in State and coordination provided by & Private Forestry), you may the USDA National also know that the 1990 Farm Agroforestry Center “NAC”. Bill contained the first ever Located in Lincoln, Nebraska, Forestry Title, which NAC is a partnership of the authorized the Forest Service, agency’s Research & in cooperation with State Development and State & Foresters, to provide Private Forestry arms and the assistance to manage trees Natural Resources and forests in our cities and Conservation Service. towns. When asked by Tom But, did you know that the Thompson to write an article Forest Service has had a long about the history of the standing role in advancing the Prairie States Forestry Project science and practice of using (PSFP) and USFS efforts more trees on farms that originated broadly in agroforestry, I was in the “Dirty Thirties” with very fortunate to learn from the Prairie States Forestry NAC’s Rich Straight that Project (1934-42)? However, Sarah Karle, Assistant the broader concept of using Professor of Landscape “working trees” in agriculture, Architecture, and David also known as agroforestry, Karle, Assistant Professor of only started gaining traction Architecture, University of in the 1970s and 1980s. A Nebraska-Lincoln, are writing commonly used definition for a book about the project. agroforestry today is: “the Early agroforestry poster created by artist Joseph Dusek intentional mixing of trees between 1936–1940 (Work Projects AdministrationPoster and shrubs into crop and Collection, Library of Congress). (continued on Page 14) Page 13 The Rendezvous Winter 2017 (continued from Page 13) Sarah agreed to team up with me long period of economic, thick. At the time, it was believed on this article and very environmental, and social crises. that shelterbelts at this spacing generously provided the following Several large-scale factors led to could intercept the prevailing brief history of the PSFP. After the environmental devastation of winds and reduce soil and crop that I provide a brief history of the Dust Bowl and contributed to damage. The project used many USFS-led efforts in the Great the economic hardships of the different tree species of varying Plains (initiated by the Research Great Depression, leading to the heights, including oaks and even Branch in 1953), which evolved social upheavals that followed. As black walnut. The plan engaged into the national scope of president, FDR used scientific knowledge with shifting agroforestry science and conservation projects as a job- political ideals, including technology transfer activities led creation tool against the Great regionalism and the role of by the USDA National Depression, and within months government in the conservation Agroforestry Center that of becoming president, he of private land. continue today. devised the Prairie States Forestry Project. The project, Though seemingly beneficial, the Prairie States Forestry based to some degree on Forestry Project was ridiculed Project (1934-1942) Roosevelt’s personal experience from its inception. Some with forest management, was professional foresters expressed In 1934 President Franklin D. proposed as an ambitious “Great doubts about its chances of Roosevelt initiated the New Wall of Trees” using shelterbelts success, while the general public Deal’s Prairie States Forestry across the Great Plains to reduce perceived it as an outdated Project to create “shelterbelts” of scheme of dubious credibility to newly planted trees to mitigate “make rain.” Despite a general the effects of the Dust Bowl in lack of scientific and America’s Great Plains. The Congressional support, the Forest project stretched from North Service worked across six states Dakota to northern Texas and with local farmers, the Civilian helped stabilize soil and Conservation Corps, and the rejuvenate farm communities Works Progress Administration affected by the dust storms. to plant over 220 million trees, Under Roosevelt's Administration creating more than 18,000 miles from 1934 to 1942, the program of windbreaks on 33,000 Plains both saved the soil and relieved farms. Although Works Progress chronic unemployment in the Administration and Civilian region. The U.S. Forest Service Conservation Corps workers was responsible for organizing planted the trees and shrubs, the "Shelterbelt Project," later Raphael Zon stands in front of a U.S. landowners were responsible for known as the "Prairie States map showing the shelterbelt, a 2,000- their long-term care and Forestry Project." Paul H. mile windbreak of trees planted maintenance. At the height of Roberts from the agency’s between crop fields. the Great Depression, the project Research Branch directed the Forest Service, USDA, courtesy of the Forest History Society employed thousands of residents project that was headquartered in (notably both men and women) Lincoln, Nebraska. of the Plains states and CCC soil wind erosion, retain members from around the When FDR came to office in moisture, and improve farming country. 1933, the Great Plains and other conditions. Trees were typically regions were suffering from what planted in long strips at 1-mile would become an almost decade- intervals within a belt 100 miles (continued on Page 15) Page 14 The Rendezvous Winter 2017 (continued from Page 14) Artistic representation of shelterbelt spacing. Shelterbelt strips are planted in parallel rows following the Jeffersonian grid. Lake States Forest Experiment Station, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1934. Forest Service, USDA. The program officially ended in from State forestry agencies Forestry Science Lab at the 1942, but by 1944 (scarcely a aided by U.S. Forest Service University of Nebraska East decade after its inception} programs. Today the rows of Campus in Lincoln, Nebraska. environmental and economic shelterbelt plantings, while Organizationally the “Lincoln benefits from these shelterbelts, diminished by subsequent Lab” was part of the new Rocky including land management changes in agricultural policies Mountain Forest and Range practices, control of wind and practices, continue to Experiment Station and its erosion, soil conservation, cover communicate culturally geographical scope was the for game birds, and the creation recognized signs of human Great Plains (all or part of 10 of snow traps along highways, intervention and interaction states). During its 39 years, the were already apparent. Since with the landscape. Lincoln Lab focused its research 1942, tree planting to reduce soil in four major projects that losses and crop damage has been “Lincoln Lab” to USDA involved 12 scientists (project carried out primarily by local National Agroforestry leaders shown in parentheses) soil conservation districts in Center (1953-today) and many other technical and cooperation with the Soil administrative personnel: In 1953, about 11 years after the Conservation Service (now last tree was planted by FDR’s Natural Resources Conservation Forestry Project, the U.S. Forest Service) with help in later years Service established the Lincoln (continued on Page 16) Page 15 The Rendezvous Winter 2017 (continued from Page 15) RM-1501 -Forestry practices for with authorization of the Center’s research expanded in improving environments in “Center for Semi-Arid 1994 to include riparian forest 1953-1981 the central and Agroforestry”, subsequently buffers and water quality, southern Great Plains (Ralph renamed the USDA National biomass, carbon, biodiversity and Read) Agroforestry Center (NAC). the development of tools to help From just being a research unit, design and locate these RM-2206 - Diseases of the Center was now a combined multifunctional plantings within nurseries, shelterbelts, and other program of research and farms, ranches and even 1961-1981 development and technology communities. This work transfer and assistance. The new continues today. Plantations in the Great Plains center was stood up in 1992 with (Glenn Peterson) Bill Rietveld as its first director NAC began in 1992 as a partnership between two USFS RM-4551 - Protection and and Michele Schoeneberger as mission areas, Research (now improvement of trees in the research program leader and Research & Development) and Great 1981-1991
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