Now's the time to order trees

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Farmers and ranchers wishing to plant trees for windbreaks in the spring are encouraged to prepare the soil now and order trees, according to Dennis Adams of the Nebraska Forest Service.

“Whether it is planting trees for livestock protection in the open range, control of blowing soil, or wind protection around a feedlot or around your home, preparing the planting bed now is critical for a successful planting,” says Adams.

Although it’s pretty late in the year, some type of chemical spraying in areas where the trees are to be planted would be preferred. Adams said that now it may take some type of tillage to prepare the ground, although this may cause some soil moisture loss,

Natural Resources District (NDR) offices, or district staff in any USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office, are now accepting orders for trees to be planted in the spring. NRD staff can assist with tree species recommendations, a planting plan, and can help, for a fee, with tree planting, said Jed Wagner, of the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts office in Lincoln. Many windbreaks today are planted with a conservation mulch fabric that has increased survival rates by 20 to 30 percent by reducing weed competition.

NRDs, USDA, and some state agencies offer cost-share programs to help with the tree or planting costs. There are programs like the Continuous Conservation Reserve Program that offer multi-year payments for planting trees in riparian buffer strips or field windbreaks, said Wagner.

“Most people can feel the difference of a good windbreak if they stand downwind behind trees. Windbreaks can provide energy reductions for a home, can protect cattle in a feedlot, calving area or open range, and windbreaks can actually increase crop production when planted along cropland edges,” said Adams.

Adams said, “Studies have shown that even consideration of the cost of land planted to trees along cropland, and the crop loss next to a windbreak, the tree protection out into the field can result anywhere from a six to more than 40 percent crop production increase.”

Farmers or ranchers interested in planting a new windbreak, or replanting an older deteriorating windbreak, should contact any NRD or NRCS office nearest you. “The best time to plant a windbreak was 20 years ago,” said Adams. “The next best time is to begin today”.