The NRCS Plant Materials Program newsletter for the conservation community 

January 2006 

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

Plant Materials Program

Texas Windbreaks 

 

The only thing blocking the wind between Canada 

and Texas is a four-wire fence... 

Farmers and ranchers in West Texas have made that 

statement, which refers to the persistent winds that 

blow in the late winter and spring. 

During the 1930s and 1940s, the old Soil 

Conservation Service (SCS), which is now the 

Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), 

recognizing a need to help lessen soil erosion by 

blowing winds, started working with landowners to 

establish large multi-row field windbreaks. During 

those early years landowners planted whatever they 

could get, and if it was thought to be adapted to the 

area, it was planted. 

It’s a different story today... 

Through cooperative work between the NRCS, the 

Texas Forest Service, and various Soil and Water 

Conservation Districts (SWCD), the selection and 

availability of trees suitable for windbreaks has 

become a science. Presently, when a land manager 

seeks information on how to establish windbreaks, 

what to plant, and how to manage and care for their 

investment, they’re able to visit their local SWCD 

office and gain the information they desire. 

Morris J. Houck, PMC Manager of the Knox City, 

Texas NRCS Plant Materials Center (PMC) said, 

“A windbreak will not only lessen the force of the 

wind around an open field helping to protect crops, 

but when planted around a home or farmstead, a 

windbreak can assist in heating and cooling costs, 

plus provide a habitat for wildlife.” 

The Knox City, PMC has been working since 1983 

to identify and select suitable trees and shrubs for 

use in windbreaks in Texas. 

“Although a lot of traditional windbreak trees like 

eastern red cedar and Arizona cypress were looked 

at, several selections that had not been previously 

evaluated, like Afghanistan pine, bur oak, little 

walnut and Nanking cherry, were considered,” said 

Houck. 

Overall, the PMC looked at 35 evergreen 

collections, 186 hardwood tree collections, and 50 

shrub collections over a 20-year period. All the 

different plants were evaluated for their hardiness, 

shape, growth rate, and general adaptability toward 

local conditions. The PMC used sites at Pampa, 

Levelland, Texline, and Knox City, Texas, to test 

the different collections. 

Afghanistan pine windbreak protecting 

farmstead from blowing soil off cotton field 

source: Knox City, TX Plant Materials Center
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opportunity provider and employer. 

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

Today, many new and improved windbreak 

management procedures have been adopted, 

including the use of single-row windbreaks instead 

of large multi-row plantings. Fact sheets about the 

selection of plants, windbreak design, and care and 

maintenance have also been developed and are 

available from NRCS field offices. 

At present, landowners don’t have to worry about 

where to buy tree seedlings. Through efforts of the 

Texas Forest Service’s West Texas Tree Nursery, 

which is located in Lubbock, Texas, many of the 

most adapted windbreak trees and shrubs are 

available. Landowners can purchase seedlings 

directly from the Texas Forest Service or from their 

local SWCD office. 

If you, as a landowner, homeowner, or someone 

who just wants trees around their place, are 

interested in learning more about windbreaks, 

please contact your local SWCD office, an NRCS 

Field Office, or the Texas Forest Service’s West 

Texas Tree Nursery in Lubbock. 

For more info: Knox City Plant Materials Center, 

http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/txpmc/

Contact: Morris Houck,

morris.houck@tx.usda.gov 

Did You Know? 

Vegetative Environmental Buffers (VEBs) 

Offer Benefits for Poultry Production 

Facilities 

The poultry industry is in the process of shifting to 

more tunnel ventilation (windowless) facilities. 

With this change there is mounting evidence that by 

planting trees and shrubs, also known as vegetative 

environmental buffers (VEBs), around these 

production facilities, it will benefit producers in a 

multitude of ways. One benefit is the ability of 

trees and shrubs to lower heating and cooling costs. 

In the Mid-Atlantic area there is preliminary 

evidence that VEBs maintain cooler summer 

temperatures by shading poultry facilities. 

Conversely the VEBs will maintain warmer winter 

temperatures by shielding these facilities from 

winter winds. Evergreen plants should be utilized 

along the North and West aspects of the facility to 

maximize this benefit. 

Another benefit of VEBs is plants’ ability to absorb 

gaseous ammonia that is exited via the ventilation 

tunnel; ammonia is the gas of greatest concern to 

the poultry industry. Yet another benefit to a VEB 

is that trees planted near the noise source can reduce 

noise by 50% and are much more aesthetically 

pleasing. 

Contact: Shawn Belt, shawn.belt@md.usda.gov

 

 

Our Mission Statement: Deliver plant-science technology to meet the nation’s natural resources conservation needs.

Modern three-row field windbreak using eastern 

red cedar, Ponderosa pine, and 'Cling Red' 

honeysuckle

source: Knox City, TX Plant Materials Center