United States Department of Agriculture 603-CPS-1

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NRCS reviews and periodically updates conservation practice standards. To obtain the current 

version of this standard, contact your Natural Resources Conservation Service State office or 

visit the Field Office Technical Guide online by going to the NRCS website at 

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/ and type FOTG in the search field. 

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Natural Resources Conservation Service 

CONSERVATION PRACTICE STANDARD 

HERBACEOUS WIND BARRIERS 

CODE 603 

(ft)

DEFINITION 

Herbaceous vegetation established in narrow strips within the field to reduce wind speed and wind

erosion. 

PURPOSE 

This practice is used to accomplish one or more of the following purposes: 

• Reduce wind erosion (creep, saltation, suspension). 

• Reduce particulate matter emissions and airborne dust. 

• Improve plant productivity and health. 

CONDITIONS WHERE PRACTICE APPLIES 

Cropland where wind erosion is a resource concern. 

CRITERIA 

General Criteria Applicable to All Purposes 

Design herbaceous wind barriers to reduce wind energy and wind erosion using current NRCS wind

erosion prediction technology. Design barriers to have a minimum expected height of 1.5 feet and porosity

of 40 to 50 percent during the critical wind erosion periods. Orient barriers perpendicular to the prevailing

wind direction during the critical wind erosion periods for the field. Barrier spacing must not exceed 10

times the planned herbaceous wind barrier height. Spacing can vary plus or minus 10% to achieve better

alignment for cropping or to accommodate field equipment. 

Where both wind and water erosion are a concern, orient the vegetative barriers to address both

concerns, if possible. Where this is not possible use other practices to address water erosion. 

Herbaceous wind barriers consist of one or more rows of plants that provide the required porosity to

achieve the planned soil loss objective. Within row spacing must not be greater than 36 inches wide. Use

herbaceous plant materials that have the following characteristics: 

• Perennial, annual, or mix. 

• Adapted to local site conditions (i.e., soil and climate factors). 

• Erect growth habit with stiff stems. 

• Resistant to lodging and strong leaf retention. 

• Tolerant to soil deposition. 

• Minimize competition to adjacent crop growth. 
Avoid water accumulation and erosion adjacent to the vegetative barriers going up and down slope. 

Additional Criteria to Improve Plant Productivity and Health 

During periods when sensitive crops are susceptible to damage by wind and wind-borne soil particles, do

not exceed the crop tolerance values as specified in table 502-1, “Crop tolerance to blowing soil,” in the

NRCS National Agronomy Manual (Title 190), Part 502. 

For example, small cotton plants have a low tolerance for blowing soil which is 1 ton per acre. When using

erosion prediction technology planned soil loss should not exceed 1 ton per acre when plants are at this

small growth stage. 

CONSIDERATIONS 

Herbaceous wind barriers are most effective when combined with other conservation practices as a

resource management system. 

Adjust the spacing of barriers within the field to the limits of criteria above to accommodate width of field

operations and minimize partial or incomplete passes. 

Manage pest control in adjacent fields with techniques and pesticides that will not irreversibly damage the

vegetation in the herbaceous wind barrier. 

Select plant materials that attract undesirable insects away from crops or desirable insects that are

beneficial to the adjacent crops. 

Select plant materials that enhance food and cover for targeted wildlife, beneficial insects, and pollinators. 

Increasing the minimum width of the barrier and choosing species with greater above and below ground

(roots) biomass will increase the potential for carbon sequestration. 

PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS 

Prepare plans and specifications for each field site where Conservation Practice Standard Herbaceous

Wind Barrier (Code 603) will be installed. Record practice specifications on the associated implementation

requirement document, including: 

• Conservation purposes for the herbaceous wind barriers. 

• Benchmark crop system wind erosion estimates. 

• Predominant wind erosion direction from benchmark simulation. 

• Planned crop system with herbaceous wind barriers and wind erosion estimates. 

• Number of planned herbaceous wind barriers and their positions within the field. 

• Planned herbaceous wind barrier effective height, width, and porosity. 

• Planned crop strip width between herbaceous wind barriers. 

• Plant materials used, seeding rate, method, and timing. 

• A field map showing the planned positioning of the herbaceous wind barriers. 

OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE 

Prepare a site specific operation and maintenance plan that as a minimum includes the following: - 

• Reestablish annual herbaceous wind barriers each year by planting at recommended dates, leaving

rows of vegetation standing and maintained throughout the critical periods for which the barrier was

designed. 

• Reestablish gaps in herbaceous wind barriers (e.g., 10–15 feet) as soon as practical to maintain

barrier effectiveness. 

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• Supply nutrients as needed and manage weeds to maintain the planned growth and effectiveness

of the herbaceous wind barriers. 

• When herbaceous wind barriers become ineffective due to sediment accumulation or begin to

accumulate runoff along the leading edge of the barriers, reposition and reestablish the wind

barriers as needed after leveling the accumulated sediment. 

REFERENCES 

 Barton, B.T. 2014. Reduced wind strengthens top‐down control of an insect herbivore. Ecology, 95: 2375-

2381. doi:10.1890/13-2171.

Brandle, J.R., D.L. Hintz, and J.W. Sturrock. 1988. Wind Break Technology. ISBN 0-444-43019-9. Elsevier

Science. 

Skidmore, E.L. and N.P. Woodruff. 1968. Wind Erosion Forces in the United States and their use in

predicting soil loss. Agriculture Handbook 346. USDA Agricultural Research Service. Washington, D.C. 

USDA NRCS. 1999. CORE4 Conservation Practices – The Common Sense Approach to Natural

Resource Conservation. Washington, D.C. 

USDA NRCS. 2010 PLANTS Database.http://plants.usda.gov. (Verified September 2019). 

USDA NRCS. 2011. National Agronomy Manual (Title 190), Part 502, Wind Erosion. Washington, D.C.

https://directives.sc.egov.usda.gov/. 

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