Plant Materials Program “The Plant Materials Program and its cooperators have contributed the bulk of the material and technology now used in ecosystem

restoration and are our foundation for meeting conservation challenges of the future.”

-- D.T. Booth and T.A. Jones, Native Plants Journal

Plant Applications for Improving Air Quality 

Air quality affects each of us every day, but is 

often given little thought unless it is noticeably 

poor. Dismal air quality is observed when smog 

looms over large metropolitan areas, soil blows off 

a farm field or newly constructed subdivision, or a 

foul odor escapes a factory or animal feeding 

operation. 

Wind erosion can cause serious air 

quality problems. 

Under the Clean Air Act (CAA), ambient air 

quality standards are set by the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency (EPA) for the following six 

major criteria air pollutants: particulate matter 

(PM), ground level ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur 

dioxide, carbon monoxide, and lead, with 

particulate matter and ground level ozone as the 

criteria air pollutants of greatest concern for 

agricultural operations. 

The need to address these air pollutants is more 

critical than ever. Air quality can be improved by 

using plants to: 

•	 Reduce particulate matter from wind 

erosion, 

•	 Manage particulate matter, ammonia, and 

odor coming from concentrated animal 

facilities, and 

•	 Increase carbon sequestration. 

Grasses and other vegetation help to hold soil in 

place and reduce airborne particulate matter in 

areas that may be subject to wind erosion. Longterm plantings can provide high rates of carbon 

sequestration in soil. Windbreaks and shelterbelts 

are useful in reducing wind speeds; the 

management of PM emissions from field 

operations; and the management, interception, and 

dispersion of PM, odor, and ammonia emissions 

from animal facilities. Windbreaks and shelterbelts 

also provide a great means to sequester carbon and 

provide wildlife habitat. 

Trees are used to buffer emissions 

from poultry operations. 

The NRCS Plant Materials Centers located 

throughout the country provide effective plant 

solutions for air quality concerns. 

The Cape May Plant Materials Center in New 

Jersey continues to test 

native grasses to stabilize 

sand dunes along the 

eastern states coastline to 

lessen the impact of 

extreme coastal winds. 

This helps improve air 

quality by reducing winddriven particulate matter 

in coastal communities. 
The Colorado Plant Materials Center tests and 

maintains foundation seed for ‘Arriba’ western 

wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii). ‘Arriba’ has 

been used in seed mixtures on hundreds of 

thousands of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) 

acres since the mid to late 1980s to control blowing 

soil in eastern Colorado. NRCS National Resources 

Inventory (NRI) data indicates evidence that tens 

of millions of tons of soil were prevented from 

entering the atmosphere as fugitive dust because of 

the ground cover that western wheatgrass and other 

plant materials released by the NRCS Plant 

Materials Program provided these CRP acres. 

The Big Flats (NY) Plant Materials Center is 

cooperating with a Pennsylvania windbreak 

working group studying trees and shrubs to be 

planted near poultry production facilities to 

mitigate odor and particulate matter. 

About Us 

The USDA NRCS Plant Materials Program consists of a 

network of 27 Plant Materials Centers (PMCs) and Plant 

Materials Specialists located throughout the United States

For over 70 years, PMCs and Specialists have provided 

essential and effective plant solutions for critical habitats,

environmental concerns, management practices, and key 

farm and ranch programs. 

For more information, visit: 

http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov 

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov 

Helping People Help the Land... 

The Kansas Plant 

Materials Center is 

evaluating hackberry 

(Celtis spp.) and oak 

(Quercus spp.) tree 

species for windbreaks 

to protect highways, 

crop fields, and 

subdivisions from 

wind erosion. The 

Idaho Plant Materials 

Center is conducting similar studies. Windbreaks 

can provide protection to adjacent fields, 

structures, and roads for up to 15 times the height 

of the tallest tree in the windbreak. 

A plant specialist at the New Mexico Plant 

Materials Center measures big sacaton (Sporobolus 

wrightii) for use in arid climates as a tall, 

herbaceous grass barrier to trap abrasive soil 

particles that are transported by wind. Herbaceous 

wind barriers provide producers an economical 

means to protect fragile or specialty crop seedlings. 

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The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. 

August 2007