Putting trees to work in

conservation and 

production systems for farms,

ranches, and nearby communities means planting the right

trees, in the right places, and in

the correct design to achieve

desired objectives. 

Agroforestry is a unique land

management approach for

landowners and anyone who

cares about working lands and

natural resources. Agroforestry

practices provide opportunities

to integrate productivity and

profitability with environmental

orking Trees 

for Agriculture

W

Agroforestry

stewardship and result in

healthy and sustainable agricultural systems that can be passed

on to future generations.

Agroforestry practices include

field, farmstead, and livestock

windbreaks; riparian forest

buffers along waterways; 

silvopasture systems with trees

and forage growing together for

livestock grazing; alley cropping

annual crops with high-value

trees; forest farming operations

where high-value specialty

crops are grown under the 

protection of a managed forest

canopy; and a variety of special

applications to help manage

natural resource issues.

Within a landscape-scale 

management approach, 

agroforestry can help to reduce

the zone of conflict between

rural and urban land uses. 

Tree-based buffers serve as a

zone of transition and help to

“reconnect” agriculture and

communities, creating a more

functional and sustainable 

landscape.

Working Trees help

make agricultural 

systems more 

sustainable by 

protecting crops and

livestock, conserving

natural resources,

improving human

environments, and

providing sources 

of income.
Conserve Energy

Agroforestry practices can significantly reduce energy use

throughout the year. Heating costs can be cut by 10 to 25 percent

in homes protected by windbreaks, especially in the high wind,

low temperature regions of the United States. In areas where hot

winds are common, windbreaks can reduce air conditioning

demands. Living snowfences reduce the need for snow removal,

thus saving fuel, while field windbreaks improve crop water-use

efficiency thereby reducing irrigation costs.

Enhance Productivity

Farm productivity and product quality can be increased 

substantially when agroforestry practices are utilized. 

Windbreaks protect crops, livestock, and soil and water resources.

In cold weather, livestock protected by trees exhibit improved

weight gains of as

much as 10 percent

and require up to 50

percent less feed.

Milk production has

been shown to

increase by eight to

20 percent.

Windbreaks can

greatly reduce or

eliminate disastrous

losses of newborn lambs and calves from blizzards.

In dry climates tree windbreaks can increase row-crop productivity by 10 to 25 percent. This is due to their ability to moderate the

effects of hot, drying winds which increase evaporation and plant

transpiration by crops.

Economic

Diversify Income

Fluctuating markets, unpredictable weather patterns, and international competition are all a part of today’s modern agricultural

world. Diversification reduces risk and can make the difference

between success and failure for a farming or ranching enterprise.

Agroforestry can diversify farm and ranch income, increase crop

yields, and conserve natural resources. 

Valuable products harvested from agroforestry practices include:

wood for energy generation, paper production, and landscaping

chips; fruits and nuts; wood shavings for animal bedding material; Christmas trees; sawlogs for dimension lumber; high-value

timber products such as furniture-quality wood and veneer logs;

and specialty crops like decorative florals, mushrooms, herbs,

medicinal plants, and craft materials.

Meet People’s Needs

People and communities are an essential part of agricultural 

systems. Agroforestry addresses human needs by improving the

quality of life. Agroforestry practices not only apply to rural

farms, but to communities as well. In fact, agroforestry practices,

like windbreaks and riparian forest buffers, are being put to work

in and near communities to protect soil, water, wildlife, roads,

and buildings.

Green space ranks among the top five things people seek when

choosing a new place to live. When this includes Working Trees,

the green space can reduce noise, moderate odors, and filter dust.

Social

Aesthetics

Agroforestry practices

generally add desirable

variety that enhances the

visual quality of the landscape. When designed

properly, agroforestry

practices can also provide more comfortable

working environments by screening undesirable views and providing opportunities for viewing wildlife.
Incorporating Working Trees into the landscape will increase 

agricultural productivity, protect natural resources, provide new 

sources of income, and enhance environments for people and wildlife.

A

F

B

E

C

D
Agroforestry Practices

F. Special Applications

Tree and shrub plantings may be used to

help solve special resource concerns.

Some special applications include the 

utilization of wastewater or irrigation 

tailwater to produce a short rotation

woody crop, and plantings to help 

stabilize streambanks and floodplains.

Any agroforestry practice can be

designed to enhance wildlife habitat and

to optimize carbon storage. 

C. Alley Cropping

In an alley cropping system, an agricultural crop is grown in the alleys between

widely spaced rows of trees. The agricultural crop provides for an annual income

while the trees produce a long-term

income. Fine hardwoods like walnut, oak,

ash, and pecan are favored species in

alley cropping systems and are managed

for high-value lumber or veneer logs.

Nut crops can be another intermediate

tree product.

D. Forest Farming

In forest farming, high-value specialty

crops are cultivated under the protection

of a forest canopy that has been modified to provide a desired amount of

shade. Crops like ginseng, shiitake mushrooms, and decorative ferns are sold for

medicinal, culinary, or ornamental uses.

Forest farming provides an added

income while trees are being grown for

high-value wood products.

E. Riparian Forest Buffers

Trees, shrubs, and grasses in riparian

zones (those lands adjacent to streams,

ponds, and wetlands) buffer water bodies

from negative impacts from adjacent

agricultural lands. Natural or re-established streamside forests provide ecological functions and reduce non-point

source pollution of waterways, reduce

bank erosion, and increase biodiversity.

B. Silvopasture

Silvopasture systems combine trees with

forage and livestock production. In

conifer stands the trees are managed for

long-term, high-value sawlogs, while the

understory is managed for forage production to support livestock grazing. In

Christmas tree plantations, carefully

managed grazing provides an alternative

to mowing. Some nut and fruit orchards

may also be grazed.

A. Windbreaks

Windbreaks are rows of vegetation used

to reduce and redirect wind. Field windbreaks improve crop yields and water-use

efficiency, and reduce wind erosion.

Livestock windbreaks help reduce climate stress on animals, feed consumption, and visual impacts. Farmstead

windbreaks enhance living and working

environments, add avalue to your home,

and help conserve energy. Living

snowfences keep roads clear of drifting

snow and increase driving safety.
Air Quality

The leaves and

branches of the tree

and shrub canopy

help filter and absorb

air pollutants including dust particles and

moisture droplets.

Tree canopies also

create cooler temperatures resulting in reduced smog levels.

Ongoing research suggests that trees and shrubs may help mitigate air quality impacts of livestock and industrial odors.

Windbreaks can improve chemical spray efficiencies and reduce

off-site spray drift.

A key consideration for rebalancing the global carbon cycle is to

find ways to promote the increased growth of trees and shrubs.

Trees store carbon in their wood as they grow and can contribute

greatly to reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.

Water Quality

Working Trees protect water quality and safeguard clean water supplies for fish, wildlife, and people. Agroforestry practices, combined with other appropriate practices, create conservation buffer

systems to control both point and nonpoint source runoff from

agricultural operations.

Trees and shrubs in riparian zones filter surface runoff laden with

sediment, nutrient, chemical, and biological contaminants. Trees

also help to stabilize streambanks by armoring banks against the

force of flood waters. Tree and shrub roots absorb contaminants

in shallow groundwater and also protect streambanks by holding

soil particles together.

Environmental

Soil Quality

Sediment eroded from crop fields and construction sites carries

unwanted pesticides and excess nutrients into ditches, streams, and

water supply reservoirs. Eroded soils are less productive due to loss

of organic matter, nutrients, and soil structure. Trees, shrubs, and

other permanent vegetation in the landscape create stable areas that

reduce or eliminate wind and water soil erosion. Windbreaks or alley

cropping systems, placed on contours within a field, limit the distance

water can move downhill, thereby reducing its velocity and erosive

power. When these practices are placed perpendicular to erosive

winds, the reduced wind energy results in less erosion.

Plant Quality

The quality of plants

grown in association with

Working Trees is often

improved. In orchards,

vineyards and vegetable

fields sheltered by trees,

the produce has less

bruising, scarring, and premature drop normally caused by wind.

Enhanced habitat and reduced winds can increase insect pollination. Trees and shrubs grown near crops and gardens can harbor

birds and beneficial insects that feed on pest insects and mammals.

Wildlife Habitat

Agroforestry can improve both terrestrial and aquatic habitat.

Extensive agricultural activities often lead to a reduction in the

amount or quality of wildlife habitat. Agroforestry offers a unique

opportunity for improving habitat in agricultural landscapes.

Populations of many wildlife species often increase with the addition of trees and shrubs into agricultural areas. This 

increase provides opportunities 

for both hunting and recreational 

uses, such as birdwatching.
Planning & Managing

Where To Get More Information

For local assistance, contact your nearest USDA NRCS office,

County Extension Office, Soil and Water Conservation District,

State Forestry Agency, or a local natural resource consultant.

For more information at the national level, contact the USDA

National Agroforestry Center (NAC), East Campus – UNL,

Lincoln, NE 68583–0822. Telephone 402–437–5178.

For free copies of this brochure, visit www.unl.edu/nac/order.htm

Contact: USDA National Agroforestry Center (NAC), East Campus – UNL, Lincoln, NE 68583–0822. Phone: 402–437–5178; fax: 402–437–5712; website: www.unl.edu/nac.

The USDA National Agroforestry Center (NAC) is a partnership of the Forest Service (Research & Development and State & Private Forestry) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. It

is administered by the Forest Service, Southern Research Station; its program manager and headquarters are located in Huntsville, AL, on the campus of Alabama A&M University, while its

research, clearinghouse, and technology transfer staff are concentrated in Lincoln, NE, at the University of Nebraska. NAC’s purpose is to accelerate the development and application of agroforestry technologies to attain more economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable land use systems. To accomplish its mission, NAC interacts with a national network of partners and cooperators to conduct research, develop technologies and tools, establish demonstrations, and provide useful information to natural resource professionals.

USDA prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all

prohibited bases apply to all programs). Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the

USDA’s TARGET Center at 202–720–2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326–W, Whitten Building, 1400

Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250–9410 or call 202–720–5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity employer.

First Edition 1994, Second Printing 1997; Third Edition 1999; Fourth Edition 2000; Fifth Edition 2003; Sixth Edition 2008

When considering how or where to incorporate

Working Trees into your production system,

keep the following ideas in mind.

Determine Objectives

Before you design and install an agroforestry application, you have to

know what you want it to accomplish. Initially, a landowner may have

only a general idea of problems to solve or conditions to improve. This

provides a starting point, but both a site- and a landscape-scale assessment should be conducted. 

• Site assessments – Identify more clearly a landowner’s initial 

ideas and verify his or her needs. They should also identify other 

conditions that could be improved by, or limit the effectiveness 

of, agroforestry at the site.

• Landscape assessments – Identify resource conditions and 

problems in the surrounding area that could affect, or be 

affected by, an agroforestry practice at the landowner’s site. For 

example, a site might be within a critical breeding area for certain 

at-risk species of wildlife or drains to a stream that provides 

drinking water to a local community.

A partnership of

Develop Alternatives And Select One

Formulating viable alternatives typically requires repeated design, evaluation, and refinement. A complete agroforestry design indicates its

location, size, and vegetation composition, as well as how the practice

should be managed. Professional judgement, environmental impacts,

accepted rules-of-thumb, and scientific models can be used to estimate

how well a design may achieve each planning objective.

Implement And Monitor

Small agroforestry projects can be installed with a minimum of planning, however, relatively large and more-complicated projects may

require implementation planning to organize numerous activities, people, and equipment, particularly if installation is a long-term activity.

After installing the selected design, monitor how well each of the planning objectives (and other criteria) are being met. Some objectives may

not be achieved for several years. In these cases, regular monitoring

can still help determine if there is satisfactory progress toward fulfilling

the objectives. 

Revise As Needed

The planning process is a learning process for the planner and the

landowner. New information often leads to better assessments of

problems and limitations, changes in priority, and new or modified

objectives. If monitoring suggests that the planning objectives are not

going to be met, the plan can be revised and re-implemented. This

kind of planning after the practice is installed is sometimes called

“adaptive management.”