# Shelterbelts destroyed?



## Troller1 (Oct 15, 2004)

While hunting this year I have noticed quite a few older shelterbelts that have been bull-dozed into piles in grain fields. Is this some conservation program that expired after a required amount of years or are the farmers just choosing to get rid of them. None of them have been re-planted but I'm not sure if they intend to or not. It seems to me they made good snow fences and erosion (wind) barriers as well as wildlife shelters. Some of them were pretty thin though. I am in no way trying to insult a farmer or suggest what to do with their land. I'm just curious.

Troller1


----------



## Dan Bueide (Jul 1, 2002)

T,

Couple of things. First, belts get more and more inconvenient as farming equipment gets bigger and bigger. Just working around them is not liked by some, and then there's the necessary trimming so equipment isn't interferred with. Second, some belts are "dead" or mostly dead from "drift" associated with increased aerial chemical application, and the dead/falling branches are more things to deal with.

There are some programs to encourage new belts, and one of the landowners who grants us access in the SW has new belts on almost all parcels. See more going out than coming in, but there are some new ones too.


----------



## Field Hunter (Mar 4, 2002)

Many of the belts were planted with trees that had about a 50-60 year old maturity back in the 50's and 60's. Most were never replanted and now they are dieing a natural death. Might as well bulldoze them.


----------



## summitx (Oct 30, 2004)

hopefuly they will try and replant them if they can


----------



## Remmi_&amp;_I (Dec 2, 2003)

We noticed many of the shelterbelts bulldozed as well, but almost every row of these belts had 90% dead or awful looking trees. I also hope they plan on replanting these! :beer:


----------



## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

With row crop prices the way they are I would not be looking for replanting of the trees any time soon.

Dan was correct on the chemical drift thing, it has killed a lot of trees, maybe not directly but by stress followed by disease.

The primary tree used years ago for these shelterbelts was a tree called carden ash (sp?) they were a short lived tree to begin with, similar life span to the hybrid cottonwood, aspen family 20 to 30 years.

Bob


----------



## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

Even a mostly dead belt serves some benefit against wind errosion. I fear the many of the farmers will not realize what they have done until we hit a long dry spell and the ditches are full of dirt. I guess I don't see the cost effectiveness of it either. With heavy equipment running out at $100 or so an hour it seems to me it would take a long time to 
re-coupe the cost just to gain an acre or 2 especially if your still paying for the land.


----------



## cootkiller (Oct 23, 2002)

Hold on a second here boys and girls. Let's not lose sight of the reality of why many of these shelter belts are being dozed.
While some may be because of flooding, old age, and disease,
many are because corporate farms come in and get rid of anything standing in their way of the almighty dollar. If that is a shelter belt covering a measly 2 acres, that shelter belt is gone. Has happened up here a couple of times in the last 5 years.

We have a couple dying shelter belts that are flooded and surrounded by cattails and you would not believe the amount of wildlife those dead shelter belts support.

cootkiller


----------



## duckslayer (Oct 30, 2003)

:sniper:


----------



## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

It's not only the Corporate farms doing it. I've seen it happening on 3rd and 4th generation family farms where grandpa would turn over in his grave if he knew it was being done. As mentioned before with $3 wheat I just don't see the cost effectiveness but then if farmers sat down and figured out the cost effectiveness of their occupation it would be unlikely that any would farm. They would just pull the wool over their eyes.


----------



## cootkiller (Oct 23, 2002)

shooter,
My advice would be to not alienate the average farmer as they are the ones that grant access. As far as access on corporate farms, GOOD LUCK! They are all about the dollar and 98% of the corporate farm land is leased out to guides and guide services in the fall.

cootkiller


----------



## Ron Gilmore (Jan 7, 2003)

We have seen a number of these go in my home area also. Some went because of the loss acres, some went because of condition of them. Few are being replaced because of the change to no till farming. One thing all of the farmers tell me is the problems from broken branches that lead to costly repairs or down time.

Punctured tires, broken reels slats on headers or broken chains on all crop heads etc. WIth erosion less of a concern because of the farming practice change we will not see these come back like we once did. Plus the lack of Fed dollars that support these types planting.

Of the tree rows lost this past three years all of the farmers would have replanted to some degree if the cost would have been more in line. Unless the land is in some type of conservation program it really is cost prohibitive for many to do on their own.

To bad with all the wasted tax dollars that we cannot get and keep programs that benefit wildlife,air and water to stay put. That is why it is so important to get our comments in on CRP. Wouldn' it make sense for land being enrolled to be allowed for tree planting and still get paid for the acres? Same for enrolling the wetlands at a reduced rate. Would that keep them from getting burned or farmed during dry years?


----------



## Scraper (Apr 1, 2002)

If it were up to me I would say doze them all. Since the inception of shelterbelt programs of the 50's and 60's prairie animals have perished at the claws of avian predators with new 20-30 foot perches.

Short shrubs planted in clumps in unfarmed corners or bufferstrips of grass along waterways will provide 10 times the valuable habitat and utilizes land that is tough to farm with big equipment.

Shelterbelts just get in the way of big equipment and provide a false sense of conservation.


----------



## prairie hunter (Mar 13, 2002)

> Since the inception of shelterbelt programs of the 50's and 60's prairie animals have perished at the claws of avian predators with new 20-30 foot perches.


Yep - single row shelter belts are pheasant death traps all winter long.


----------

