An agroforestry practice

WINDBREAKS

This presentation was developed by the USDA National Agroforestry Center

 Presentation Objectives
 Define windbreaks
 Describe the benefits and types
 Recognize basic design considerations

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 What is Agroforestry?
…the intentional combining of
agriculture and working trees to
create sustainable farming systems.
Riparian buffer

Forest farming

Silvopasture Alley cropping

Windbreaks

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 What is a windbreak?
 Plantings of single
or multiple rows of
vegetation (trees,
shrubs, grass) that
are established for
one or more
environmental and
economic purposes.

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 What are the benefits?
 Reduce soil erosion  Moderate noise
 Protect plants  Screen views
 Enhance plant growth  Reduce airborne
 Manage snow chemical drift
 Provide shelter
 Improve irrigation
efficiency
 Reduce energy needs
 Increase carbon
 Improve wildlife storage
habitat  Mitigate odors
 Enhance aesthetics

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 How does a windbreak work?
Modify: Trap/filter air borne:
• Air flow • Sediment
• Sound waves • Snow
• Odor plumes • Nutrients
• Microclimate • Pesticides
dynamics • Pathogens
• VOCs

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 What are the effects?
Windbreaks:
 lower wind velocity causing
air-borne material to be deposited
 physically trap air-borne material
 adsorb some of the chemicals
attached to air-borne material
 alter the microclimate on the downwind
side of the windbreak

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 How can air flow patterns be modified?
Modification of the wind depends upon six
key windbreak features:
 Height
 Density
 Orientation
 Length
 Width
 Continuity

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 Why is height important?
 H = Effective height
of the windbreak
 The height
determines the H
distance of the
downwind sheltered
(protection) zone

10H to 15H 10H to 15H

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 Why is density important?
 Dense: maximum wind
reduction but short wind
shadow
 Moderately dense: less
wind reduction but
longer wind shadow

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 Why is orientation important?
Location or layout:
 Directly influences area
protected
 Effects vary with critical
weather periods and wind
directions

Wind Rose

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 Why is length important?
 For full protection, the windbreak needs to extend the entire
length of the area needing protection to account for changing
wind directions.
 Doubling the length of a windbreak will generally increase the
area protected by 4 times

Windbreak

protected area

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 Why is width important?
Width influences:
 Density
 Wildlife values
 Trapping capacity
and efficiency

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 Why is continuity important?
 Wind speed increases in a gap
 Gaps in the windbreak can result in
damage or complications downwind

(% of open wind speed)

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 Types of windbreaks

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 Types of windbreaks: field

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 Types of windbreaks: farmstead

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 Types of windbreaks: livestock

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 Types of windbreaks: specialty
Living
Snow
Fence

Irrigation
efficiency

Dust Odor

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Multi-purpose windbreaks
 Bio-energy feedstock
 Food security
 Wildlife
 Income products

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 Summary
 Windbreaks are an agroforestry practice
 Windbreaks provide multi-functional
benefits
 Windbreaks can be designed to meet
site needs and land owner objectives

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For Additional Information
A number of web sites are available to provide more detailed
information on windbreaks. Here are a few:

 USDA National Agroforestry Center https

://www.fs.usda.gov/nac/practices/windbreaks.php
 The Center for Agroforestry
http://www.centerforagroforestry.org/practices/wb.php
 Association for Temperate Agroforestry http://www.aftaweb.org/
 USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/national/home/

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 Acknowledgements
This presentation was developed by the USDA
National Agroforestry Center (NAC), Lincoln NE.

NAC is a USDA partnership between the U.S.

Forest Service and the Natural Resources
Conservation Service.
National
Agroforestry
Center

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