Windbreaks (NRCS #380)

Applicable Systems

Jump to: Benefits/Limitations Impact Applicability Case Studies Resources

About

Windbreaks, also referred to as shelterbelts, are an edge of field practice and function to protect crops, livestock, and buildings from wind through the linear planting of trees. Across the globe, windbreaks have been planted for centuries to protect agricultural land. In the United States, in response to the 1930s Dust Bowl, over 96,000 hectares of windbreaks were planted across the Great Plains to prevent further soil loss and wind erosion. Today, windbreaks are one of the five agroforestry practices recognized by the USDA as a conservation strategy. Windbreaks protect crops, soil and livestock, and can be classified as field, livestock, or farm windbreaks. While the primary objective of windbreaks is to reduce wind speed, numerous ecosystem benefits are offered if designed and managed appropriately¹ ².

Key aspects and considerations:

Plant trees or shrubs in single or multiple linear rows.
Plant trees or shrubs perpendicular to the direction of wind.
Choose species that are adapted to site and climate conditions.
Perform regular maintenance in the early stages of establishment.
Consider windbreak structure (spacing, height, species, length, and orientation) and management goals: tree height influences the amount of area protected, and windbreaks reduce windspeed on the downwind side over a distance of 10-30 times tree height⁵.
Consider windbreak density.

Benefits and Limitations

ACRE Category	Benefits	Limitations
Soil Health	By reducing wind speed, windbreaks protect topsoil and decrease erosion³. Improves soil structure and soil biological activity. Increases soil moisture. Increases soil organic matter over time through leaf litter and root turnover.	N/A
Water Management	By decreasing windspeed, windbreaks reduce evapotranspiration of downwind crops⁴ ⁵. Improves water-use-efficiency in downwind crops. Enhances irrigation efficiency. By preventing topsoil and organic matter loss, windbreaks improve the water holding capacity of the soil. Uniformly distributes snow cover and provides added soil moisture for spring crops.	Trees may require more water than previous plantings⁶. Downwind crops may require more water due to increased biomass⁴.
Nutrient Management	Reducing topsoil erosion protects organic matter, which is key for promoting efficient nutrient cycling. Increases soil nutrient content⁷. Requires fewer fertilizer inputs and reduces nitrogen loss from leaching.	Trees may compete with crops for nutrients.
Agricultural Production	Improves crop yield across the U.S., with an average increase of 12% for corn, 23% for winter wheat, 13% for soybean, and 20% for hay cropping systems. Protects crops and reduces pesticide drift by reducing windspeed. Protects livestock from cold and harsh conditions, which may increase weight gain and milk production. Provides fruit, nut, and timber products⁸. Reduces noise and limits odor associated with livestock production.	Potentially competes with crops for resources. Benefits diminish with distance from the windbreak. Requires long-term management and land tenure. Requires continued management of weeds, disease, pests, and pruning for best results. Chemical spray from adjacent cropland must be managed to avoid harming windbreaks. Requires renovation if windbreaks do not meet desired goals. Continued research on the impact on crop yields is needed⁹.
Biodiversity and Wildlife	Provides habitat for a range of wildlife, increasing bird, mammal, insect, soil, and plant diversity. Improves plant diversity and overall landscape connectivity.	May reduce suitable habitat for grassland birds, which require an open horizon. May provide habitat for crop pests or nuisance wildlife. Wildlife may damage windbreaks⁸.
GHG Emission	Trees and shrubs promote carbon sequestration¹⁰. When planted around a home or farmstead, windbreaks can improve the energy efficiency of the home¹¹. Avoids fossil fuel emissions associated with annual production systems¹¹.	Establishment activities generate modest short-term emissions.
Economics	Often provide a net positive return on farm economics¹². May provide additional sources of income. Increases in crop yield often compensate for land removed from production⁷ ¹³. By minimizing windspeeds and livestock stress, reduces feed requirements for livestock during winter. May increase property value. Federal and state cost-share programs offset windbreak costs.	Costs include site preparation, tree establishment, maintenance, and the land taken out of crop production. Direct cost estimates range between $1,000 to $10,000 per acre, depending on a variety of factors such as density, length, and number of tree rows. Requires decades for benefits to be fully realized.

Impact on Agricultural Resilience

Windbreaks offer a strategy to reduce risks associated with a changing climate. Windbreaks can mitigate the impact of drought, heatwaves, and extreme wind on crops by improving water-use-efficiency, modifying the microclimate, and creating a zone of protection for crops¹⁴.

Regional Applicability

Windbreaks are especially crucial in areas vulnerable to soil loss due to the presence of strong wind or coarse texture soils, and as a result, are extremely applicable to areas across the Midwest and Great Plains. Of the five agroforestry practices, windbreaks are the most widely planted according to recent work from the National Agroforestry Center, with most farms concentrated in the Northern Plains and Midwest regions⁸. Recent research identifies much of the Midwest, including central Illinois to northern Nebraska and north central Iowa as high environmental priority areas for windbreak adoption¹⁵. While past research has found that windbreaks can provide a net positive economic return, agroforestry adoption rates remain low.

Case Studies

Frank and Jaci Mills of Mills Farm located in Crawford, Nebraska grew trees into a solid windbreak, several rows thick, helping protect their home and livestock from the wind and snow, and providing habitat for wildlife. Jaci describes some of the benefits: "The trees help spread the snow across the field more evenly, meaning moisture is spread across the field. Plus, it helps protect our home and buildings from the bitter wind."
Mark Shepard, a Wisconsin farmer implementing both windbreaks and alley cropping, reflects, "Agroforestry has the answers to so many challenges. We can solve them with programs we already have in place, and we can do it at a profit."
At Hudson Farms, in Urbana, IL, Kaitie Adams along with the Savanna Institute plant windbreaks to protect crops from wind damage and pesticide drift.

Resources

Video. University of Illinois Extension Horticulture: Windbreaks: the History, Function, and Benefits of Diminished Wind Speeds
Video. Savanna Institute: Windbreaks - 5 Agroforestry Practices Explained
Podcast. Savanna Institute: The Pros and Cons of Windbreaks and Riparian Buffers
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach: Windbreaks
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach: Windbreaks for Wildlife
University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry: Windbreaks Training Manual
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach: Care and How-Tos: Windbreaks for Iowa
University of Minnesota Extension: Selecting Trees and Shrubs for Windbreaks
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Windbreaks for Livestock Operations
University of Nebraska: Prairie States Forestry Project Digital Archive
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems (CIAS): Windbreaks: Trees as Technology for Protecting Wisconsin's Topsoil (Research Brief #22)
University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension: Windbreaks - Agroforestry for Any Property
USDA-FS National Agroforestry Center. Agroforestry Notes #25: Windbreaks: An Agroforestry Practice
USDA-NRCS: Windbreak/Shelterbelt Establishment and Renovation (Ft.) (380) Conservation Practice Standard

References

USDA-NRCS (2021). Conservation Practice Standard Document, Windbreak-Shelterbelt Establishment and Renovation, Code 380. https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-10/Windbreak-Shelterbelt_Establishment_380_NHCP_CPS_2021.pdf
USDA-NRCS (2012). Conservation Practice Overview, Windbreak-Shelterbelt Establishment (Code 380) or Renovation (Code 650). https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-10/Windbreak-Shelterbelt_Establishment_380_PO.pdf
Nordstrom, K. F., & Hotta, S. (2004). Wind erosion from cropland in the USA: a review of problems, solutions and prospects. Geoderma, 121(3-4), 157-167.
Brandle, J. R., Hodges, L., & Zhou, X. H. (2004). Windbreaks in North American agricultural systems. In New Vistas in Agroforestry: A Compendium for 1st World Congress of Agroforestry, 2004 (pp. 65-78). Springer Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-2424-1_5
Brandle, J.R., Hodges, L., Tyndall, J. and Sudmeyer, R.A. (2009). Windbreak Practices. In North American Agroforestry: An Integrated Science and Practice, H.E. "Gene" Garrett (Ed.). https://doi.org/10.2134/2009.northamericanagroforestry.2ed.c5
Vico, G., & Brunsell, N. A. (2018). Tradeoffs between water requirements and yield stability in annual vs. perennial crops. Advances in Water Resources, 112, 189-202.
Weninger, T., Scheper, S., Lackóová, L., et al. (2021). Ecosystem services of tree windbreaks in rural landscapes -- a systematic review. Environmental Research Letters, 16(10), 103002. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac1d0d
Smith, M. M., Floress, K., Kellerman, T., Bentrup, G., MacFarland, K., Batcheler, M., & Ameyaw, L. (2026). Windbreaks in the United States: results from the National Agroforestry Producer Survey. Agroforestry Systems, 100(5), 112.
Smith, M. M., Bentrup, G., Kellerman, T., MacFarland, K., Straight, R., & Ameyaw, L. (2021). Windbreaks in the United States: A systematic review of producer-reported benefits, challenges, management activities and drivers of adoption. Agricultural Systems, 187, 103032. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2020.103032
Lawrence, N., Ahamed, A., Conway, A., Covey, K., Chenyang, L., Machado, S., Wardropper, C., Stutzman, E., & Mize, C. (2025). Agroforestry and Climate Outcomes: Literature Review and Technical Guidance. Technical Advisory Network for Climate Smart Agricultural Practices. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15776654
Ballesteros-Possu, W., Brandle, J. R., & Schoeneberger, M. (2017). Potential of windbreak trees to reduce carbon emissions by agricultural operations in the US. Forests, 8(5), 138.
Brandle, J. R., Johnson, B. B., & Akeson, T. (1992). Field windbreaks: are they economical? Journal of Production Agriculture, 5(3), 393-398.
Osorio, R. J., Barden, C. J., & Ciampitti, I. A. (2019). GIS approach to estimate windbreak crop yield effects in Kansas-Nebraska. Agroforestry Systems, 93(4), 1567-1576.
Schoeneberger, M. M., & Bentrup, G. (2017). Agroforestry: enhancing resiliency in US agricultural landscapes under changing conditions. Gen. Tech. Report WO-96. Washington, DC: US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, 96. https://doi.org/10.2737/WO-GTR-96
Castle, S. E., Miller, D. C., & Wardropper, C. B. (2025). Mapping the social-ecological suitability of agroforestry in the US Midwest. Environmental Research Letters, 20(2), 024041.

View All Systems View All Practices

Windbreaks photo 1 — Photo 1: Windbreaks established surrounding crop fields reduce wind speed and protect fields from wind erosion.

Photo provided by the USDA National Agroforestry Center, taken by Garry Wells, USDA-NRCS.

Windbreaks photo 2 — Photo 2: In northwestern Iowa, a multirow windbreak integrates shrubs, conifers, and deciduous trees to protect a farmstead.

Photo by Jason Johnson, Iowa NRCS.