Inside Agroforestry | Spring 2001

Buffers


Getting Buffers on the Ground: A Group Effort

Rich Straight, Forest Service Lead Agroforester, NAC, Lincoln, Nebraska


"Tree planting in the Great Plains is a team effort," says Joe Cervantes, 
Resource Conservationist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service 
(NRCS) in Alliance, Nebraska. It takes an interested landowner, resource 
professionals with technical and program expertise, and professional tree 
planters. 

Jim Jelinek, a farmer from western Nebraska, is one of those interested 
landowners. He says, "When the dirt blows, it's disgusting.. The trees planted 
in the 1930's and 1940's are dying and there just aren't the trees out there 
that there used to be." While talking about planting trees through the 
Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CCRP) Jim said, "It was easy, Joe sat 
down and explained the program and how I could use it. My family has about 10 
CCRP windbreak contracts between my place, my Dad's place, and my Grandad's 
estate." Jelinek adds, "We've planted windbreaks around most of our 
pivot-irrigated fields and around the pivot corners. Otherwise, planting crops 
in the corners with 50- to 60-feet equipment is difficult. Millet is about the 
only thing I can grow because it is inexpensive to plant." Jim has become a 
tree-planting-promoter, he says, "Now my landlords are following my lead and 
planting field windbreaks."

Jim is quick to point out that staff at the USDA Farm Services Agency (FSA) 
were invaluable when it came to filling out forms. Deena Collins, Program 
Technician, and landowner, worked with me to complete the paperwork. She not 
only knew how to fill out the forms, but she understands how programs can work 
on my farm. 

Deena says, "Conservation is important to me. We live on an old 1889 Tree Claim 
and still have the deed that was signed by Ulysess S. Grant. Shelterbelts help 
save natural resources for our kids." She continues, "Buffer practices like 
field windbreaks only need a small number of acres, they [producers] are not 
giving up as much as they are getting in return. The wildlife aspects, like 
protected areas for pheasant and sharptail grouse, along with saving resources 
for our kids, and better crops, all from windbreaks. I love it. CCRP makes it 
easy to talk to landowners about windbreak possibilities."

Other key players on this successful conservation team are brothers Dave and 
Dean Buskirk. The Buskirks, landowners themselves with over 20,000 trees 
planted on their own farms for windbreaks and wildlife habitat, started their 
tree planting company; Trees Are Us, about six years ago. The first year we 
planted one job. Now weıre up to three tree planting crews with seven people on 
each crew. Each crew plants trees and installs fabric mulch, Trees Are Us 
contracts with the local Upper Niobrara White Natural Resources District (NRD) 
to provide tree planting and mulch installation services for producers in the 
area. 

The Buskirks not only plant trees but they also install fabric water 
conservation mulch on windbreaks. "The advent of fabric mulch made it possible 
to increase survival and growth of seedlings," says brother Dean. "It took a 
few years to develop a fabric mulch installation machine that also worked in 
no-till situations." Farmers and ranchers donıt like breaking the sod on the 
sandy soils because of the increased risk of wind erosion here on the edge of 
the Nebraska Sandhills. 

This conservation team works because each person does their part with personal 
commitment. Joe and Deena provide USDA technical and program expertise to 
assist landowners like Jim develop effective conservation plans. Conservation 
Districts and landowners then work with local businesses, like Trees Are Us, to 
get the job done. 

Working together to conserve our natural resources makes sense. And 
Conservation Buffers, like field windbreaks and living snowfences, are common 
sense conservation.



Alley Cropping System Buffers Water Table

Kimberly Stuhr, Technology Transfer Specialist, NAC, Lincoln, Nebraska


Deep in the Mesilla Valley near Las Cruces, New Mexico you'll find over 25,000 
acres of pecan trees. At first glance this just looks like a lot of pecan 
trees, but after closer inspection and a visit with NRCS Soil Conservationist 
Rudy Garcia of the Las Cruces Field Office, youıll find that some of the 
plantings are an interesting and productive alley cropping / buffer system of 
pecan trees, orchard grass (like Bermuda grass), and dairy waste nutrient 
management. 

According to Garcia, "This alley cropping system buffers excess nitrate 
leaching into the water table. Here in the desert we have a shallow water table 
that is only about seven to nine feet below the surface." 

The Mesilla Valley is home to 22 large dairy operations that produce manure in 
need of disposal, or more appropriately, "utilization." Typically 10 to 15 tons 
of dairy manure is applied per acre every three to four years on a pecan 
orchard. By applying "waste" to the grass and trees, nutrients are readily 
available that improve forage and pecan production. Obviously, what used to be 
considered waste can alternatively be seen as a valuable component of a 
productive agroforestry alley cropping system and efficient disposal means of a 
sure supply of manure. 

The grass is planted between pecan trees, which are planted at a 40-foot by 
40-foot spacing. It is harvested about two times per year and often sold to 
local farmers for feed or bedding. Many landowners consider the grass an 
excellent soil conditioner (i.e., the grass is mowed between rotations) that 
improves soil quality properties, which beneficially influence yield and 
quality. When sold, the Bermuda grass provides an annual income for the 
landowner throughout the summer growing season. Then, in late autumn the pecans 
are harvested for another source of income. Garcia says, "Several landowners 
who have recently converted to this system really like it. They maximize the 
use of their fields and are generating greater income through increased yield 
and quality of both the pecans and the grass crop."

For more information about this unique alley cropping / buffer system, contact 
Rudy Garcia by phone: 505-522-8775 or e-mail him at: Rudy.Garcia@nm.usda.gov



NAC Director's Corner
A commentary on the status of agroforestry by Center Director, Dr. Greg Ruark

Buffers: More Relevant Today Than Ever!


Agroforestry buffers utilize trees and/or shrubs to protect things that are 
important. They protect waterways from non-point source pollution, prevent soil 
from eroding, and moderate dust and odors. Fields, homes, communities, and 
roadways can be sheltered from the adverse affects of harsh climates and strong 
winds. Buffers can also provide social benefits, like wildlife habitat, visual 
beauty, recreation opportunities, and carbon storage. The economic 
profitability of a farm or ranch can often be improved when agroforestry 
buffers are properly planned and installed.

Former Secretary of Agriculture, Dan Glickman, once said, "When combined with 
conservation tillage and nutrient and pest management, buffers can all but 
eliminate serious water pollution and related environmental problems from farms."

This issue of Inside Agroforestry focuses on several types of agroforestry 
buffers. Local stories are used to illustrate how alley cropping, riparian 
forest buffers, field windbreaks, living snowfences, and planted pivot corners 
are being used throughout the country. Unfortunately, many existing buffers 
have reached the end of their service life and are in dire need of renovation 
or replacement. This is especially true for field windbreaks that were planted 
in the Great Plains to combat the "dust bowl" of the 1930's.

Don't underestimate the benefits of agroforestry buffers. These strategically 
placed "linear forests" can work for you, they can work for your neighbors, and 
they can work for watersheds and the entire nation.



Protecting Water: Every Drop Counts

Bern Sweeney, Director, and
Claire Birney, Development Director, 
Stroud Water Research Center, Avondale, Pennsylvania


New York City dwellers use an average of 1.2 billion gallons of water daily. 
Fifty-six upstate cities, towns, villages, and other water districts draw 
another 123 million gallons.  New York City's water, considered among the 
cleanest and best tasting of any city in North America, is internationally 
envied. What's more, the water is unfiltered. And most interested parties want 
to keep it that way.

The problem that New York faces is that federal regulations now insist on 
filtration for communities that use surface water sources. But a water 
authority can avoid filtration if it demonstrates to the EPA that it can 
maintain a watershed control program which minimizes the potential for 
contamination by Giardia (microorganisms that cause painful intestinal 
sickness) and viruses in the source water.

New York City draws its water from a network of rivers, streams, and reservoirs 
in the watersheds of the Hudson and Delaware rivers. Hundreds of streams feed 
the systems 18 collecting reservoirs and three lakes that hold about 548 
billion gallons. The system watersheds cover 1,969 square miles, with the outer 
edges lying 125 miles from Manhattan.

One part of the system is already beyond filtration avoidance. The once rural 
East-of-Hudson Croton watershed is fast turning into a sprawling suburbia, and 
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ordered New York to filter water 
from this section, which provides only 10 percent of the city's water. The 
Croton filtration plant will cost $687 million ­ relatively cheap next to the 
estimated $6 billion cost (plus $300 million a year to run) of filtration for 
the Catskill-Delaware system, which provides 90 percent of the city's water. 
Not surprisingly, the city has decided it would rather spend $1.5 billion over 
10 years to implement a watershed management strategy than to face the high 
costs of filtration.

"Every Drop [of water] Counts..." is the Stroud Water Research Centerıs (SWRC) 
motto. The Stroud Center, located about 40 miles southwest of Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania, is a scientific and educational institution dedicated to 
understanding, preserving, and restoring streams, rivers, and their watersheds 
throughout the world. They have been contracted by New York State at $1.2 
million a year to help find, measure, and design controls for the sources of 
pollution in the myriad of streams and rivers that provide New York City's 
drinking water. Stroud scientists hope to pinpoint the problem areas and come 
up with a prescription that is cheaper, less dependent on chemicals, and more 
sensitive to both water quality and the natural environment. According to 
Stroud Director Bern Sweeney, "This project fits well with our mission because 
it applies basic research science to a real world problem."

The overall aim of the three-year project is to establish a system to monitor 
the amount of contaminants in the water and the sources of contamination in the 
watersheds. The system must also be able to measure and predict future changes 
in water quality as land uses change. Most importantly, for the long run, the 
information provided by the Stroud Center must lead to land and water 
management practices that will prevent further contamination.

For more information about the Stroud Center, the New York City project, and 
other water quality projects visit their website at: www.stroudcenter.org or 
call Claire Birney, Development Director, at 610-268-2153 ext. 230.
	


Saving Our Aging Windbreak Buffers

Bruce Wight, NRCS Lead Agroforester, NAC, Lincoln, Nebraska


Much like the "baby boomer" generation, most of the windbreaks in the Great 
Plains began life in the 1940's, 50's and 60's and are now reaching maturity. 
According to Craig Stange, NRCS Forester in North Dakota, an estimated 70 to 80 
percent of these windbreaks need some type of renovation ranging from reducing 
competition between trees and encroaching grass to complete tree removal and 
replacement.  Similar renovation needs exist in the other states in the 
Northern Great Plains.

With $50 per 100 feet as the going rate for tree and stump removal, the 
potential cost of rotating to second generation windbreaks is staggering. This 
cost can be reduced to $20 per 100 feet if trees are removed with a hydraulic 
sheer or saw and the stump is left in the ground. Stange and other resource 
professionals in North Dakota are exploring alternatives like the tree sheer to 
find cost-effective renovation approaches for landowners.

According to the 1992 National Resource Inventory, there are over 150,000 miles 
of windbreaks nationwide with about 90 percent occurring in 15 states making up 
the Northern Great Plains and Midwest. Estimates ranging from 50 to 60 percent 
of these windbreaks need some form of renovation.

Craig Stange is experimenting with new renovation ideas and sharing the lessons 
learned through an educational grant from the Environmental Quality Incentives 
Program (EQIP). One goal of the project is to find a way to reduce renovation 
costs to 30 percent of the present costs.  Stange says, "We all know that cost 
sharing will never be sufficient enough to meet the need; therefore, we must 
show a less expensive way that is attractive to landowners." With money from 
the grant, North Dakota held four windbreak renovation workshops across the 
state with over 200 people attending. As a result, several conservation 
districts have purchased some of the innovative equipment demonstrated for use 
by local landowners.

Part of the EQIP educational grant is supporting development of a windbreak 
renovation video. The video project is a cooperative effort among the USDA 
Natural Resources Conservation Service, North Dakota State University 
Cooperative Extension Service, North Dakota Forest Service, several soil 
conservation districts, and several dedicated landowners. The video will 
document a variety of windbreak renovation techniques and is slated to be 
completed later this year. For more information on the video, contact: Marcus 
Jackson at mjackson@ndsuext.nodak.edu or phone him at: 701-231-8478.

People living on the plains and prairies of North America have long appreciated 
the buffering capability of windbreaks and their many benefits. Now is the time 
to develop effective windbreak renovation techniques. This job will require 
help from conservation partners in both the private and public sector.



A Good Thing Is Doing Good Things 

Kimberly Stuhr, Technology Transfer Specialist, NAC, Lincoln, Nebraska


Talk about word-of-mouth advertising! Word about windbreaks is spreading fast 
in Idaho. According to Dennis Hadley, District Conservationist, for the USDA 
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in eastern Idaho, "Word is 
getting out. When you've got a good buffer practice and a good program to 
support it, you can talk about good things to people." 

With the great incentives that the Continuous Conservation Reserve Program 
(CCRP) offers and a first-rate buffer practice like windbreaks, it's no wonder 
that the High Country RC&D and the East and West Side Soil Conservation 
Districts (SCDs) are installing increasing numbers of new windbreaks per year. 
According to Hadley, landowners are extremely pleased with their windbreaks and 
CCRP's incentives. The cost share plus the sign-up bonus for buffer practices 
is fantastic. After you add in the annual rental payments, CCRP is the best 
conservation tree planting program thatıs been available in a long time. 
Cooperators wonıt find a better opportunity to apply a conservation planting to 
their land. Hadley continues, "In fact, landowners can hardly believe it. 
Sometimes I almost need to pinch them!" 

Windbreak buffers of all types are important in this part of the country. A lot 
of the cropland is irrigated and is very erodible due to high winds. 
Furthermore, many parts of Idaho experience blowing and drifting snow each 
winter. This adversely affects winter travel, commuter safety, and snow removal 
budgets. Windbreaks take up very little space compared to the area they 
protect, whether they are planted to protect people, livestock, soil, or crops 
from harsh winters and extreme spring winds or to provide a visual screen from 
conflicting land uses like rural housing developments, dairies, or landfills. 
For example, a two-row, one-half mile long windbreak takes up less than two 
total acres.  Additionally, windbreaks add aesthetic variety to the landscape, 
provide wildlife habitat, and improve working and living environments. 

Windbreaks provide benefits not only to individual landowners but also to 
communities as a whole. The Bone Road, located in rural Bonneville County, 
Idaho is the only maintained winter access connecting Bone, Idaho to the 
greater Idaho Falls area. Snow removal costs on this road are usually quite 
high. The East Side SCD and High Country RC&D cooperated with Bonneville County 
Roads and landowner Steve Rhodes to design a special type of windbreak buffer, 
known as a living snowfence. In 1993 over 9,000 feet of Siberian Peashrub and 
Rocky Mountain Juniper were planted and are well on their way to maintaining 
winter access between the two communities.

Prior to 1992, windbreaks were installed sporadically throughout Idaho. The 
windbreak program dramatically increased when NRCS made a commitment to 
increase windbreak technology within the state. Technologies were advanced 
through training, technology improvements, and coordination with outside 
agencies and programs. A NRCS forester was hired specifically to facilitate and 
coordinate the windbreak program. 

Gary Kuhn, current NRCS Agroforester for NAC, located in Spokane, Washington 
was previously the NRCS State Staff Forester in Boise, Idaho. According to 
Kuhn, the windbreak program in Idaho has really taken off. Kuhn says, "During 
my time as Idaho NRCS forester, it was a pleasure to see the commitment to 
advance a specific conservation technology, in this case, windbreak technology. 
After conducting two intensive windbreak technology training courses, the 
confidence and cooperation of resource professionals led to the expansion of 
windbreak plantings in Idaho. What's special is the windbreak activities 
continue to remain strong. I look forward to the years ahead to seeing the 
fruits of our effort."

The CCRP encourages buffer practices that occupy small amounts of space but 
provide big benefits. Hadley receives requests from landowners wanting 
windbreaks ranging from field and farmstead windbreaks to feedlot windbreaks. 
Landowner windbreak plans vary in size from two to 16 rows, and many of them 
include a wildlife habitat component. Additionally, both acreage landowners and 
traditional farmers are getting involved in the program.

When asked about how he markets and outreaches to landowners in his area, 
Hadley said simply, "Word-of-mouth." He then added that he occasionally speaks 
to farm and watershed groups and reaches prospective clients there. The USDA 
Farm Service Agency (FSA) also includes information in their District's 
newsletter. And then, of course, there are conservation partners who 
participate in the plantings and promotion of conservation. Some of the groups 
include: the Idaho State Transportation Department, East Side Soil & Water 
Conservation District, High Country RC&D of Bonneville County, Idaho Fish & 
Game, Farm Service Agency (FSA), West Side Soil & Water Conservation District, 
and Idaho Department of Lands.

"For the past nine years the program has been growing and now it seems like 
every day we get calls." Hadley sums up. "We've got about 12 windbreaks to 
install this spring. Twelve more are in the works for next year and by the end 
of summer, we'll have even more inquiries, probably 30 to 40." In a couple more 
years we will have installed several hundred windbreaks! Now, that's a good 
program doing good things for people, wildlife, water, and the land!

Idaho windbreak planting statistics graphically demonstrate the increased 
interest in windbreaks in east central Idaho. In 1999, East Side and West Side 
SCDıs assisted with over 11,000 feet of windbreaks (about 16 percent of the 
windbreaks reported in Idaho). In 2000, they assisted with windbreak 
installation of about 36,000 feet (about one-fourth of the windbreaks reported 
in Idaho).

So, there you have it, when you've got a time-honored, well-proven buffer 
practice like windbreaks, field demonstrations that prove the benefits, and a 
Government program like CCRP good things are bound to happen to you, and the 
land. 
	


Living Snowfences

Dan Gullickson, Forester, Minnesota Department of Transportation, Office of 
	Environmental Services, St. Paul, Minnesota


Living snowfences are plantings of trees, shrubs, native grasses and sometimes 
standing rows of corn that trap blowing and drifting snow. These barriers help 
keep roadways clear and prevent big drifts that lead to stranded motorists. 

Living snowfences save lives. 
According to the Federal Emergency Management Administration the number one 
natural disaster that claims the most lives in Minnesota is winter weather. 
Between 1990 and 2000, in the Mankato-Windom area alone, there were 1,411 
vehicle crashes due to snow, 917 crashes due to blowing snow, and 86 crashes 
resulting from cross winds. With living snowfences, driver visibility is 
improved and these vehicle accidents are reduced.

Living snowfences save money. 
According to Standard and Poorıs financial information services, economic 
disruption of having to shut down the highways for one day in Minnesota would 
cost $66 million in lost wages and $27 million in lost sales. Living snowfences 
help keep roads open and reduce shipping delays for goods and services. They 
also help us make better use of the publicıs money because the need for plowing 
snow is reduced.    

Living snowfences look good. 
These barriers are natural, live materials that are aesthetically pleasing year 
round. They provide visual cues, or land marks, to help drivers find their way. 
Living snowfences are an environmentally sound solution to improve snow 
management. Less salt, fewer plow and truck trips, and less fuel are required 
to keep the roadways clear. 

As a result, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has acquired a 
$2.5 million grant from FEMA and participation of landowners and local 
governments in the Living Snowfence program. We are in the middle of planting 
100 living snow-fences that will be completed by June, 2001.

For more information, contact me by phone: 651-284-3763, or e-mail: 
Daniel.gullickson@dot.state.mn.us