Description of practice
Shelter belts or windbreak plantations are usually made up of one or more rows of trees or shrubs providing shelter from wind and protection from erosion. They are commonly planted in hedgerows around the edges of fields on farms.
| Examples of how to use shelter belts | Further information (see Note below) |
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Shelterbelts as farmland boundaries in sandy areasBelts of trees are planted in a rectangular grid pattern or in strips, within and on the periphery of farmland, to act as windbreaks. |
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Shelterbelts made of leguminous trees and shrubsShelterbelts of leguminous trees and shrubs are planted to protect annual crops from wind erosion. Soil properties can be improved through nitrogen fixation and the provision of organic matter (leaves). |
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Multifunctional windbreaksHerbaceous plants or trees are planted along property boundaries to serve as windbreaks and as sources of fodder and fuel. |
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Bamboo for fencing and wind protectionBamboo is planted for fencing agricultural land, protecting it from strong winds and reducing the need to exploit the forest for wood. Bamboo shoots are also a source of nutrition and income generation. |
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Pasture-protective forest shelterbeltsWide strips of large shrubs are cultivated perpendicular to the prevailing wind direction to protect pasture. The shelterbelts increase the ecological complexity and forage capacity of desert pastures. |
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Live fences in areas with strong windsShrubs such as sea buckthorn are planted as live fences to protect the cultivation of grain, potato and forage crops in areas with strong winds. The live fences also keep livestock out of the field. |
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Wind forest strips on sandy soilsA shelterbelt of different varieties of willow, poplar and sea-buckthorn is established to reduce wind speed and protect irrigated cropland from sand deposition. |
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Boundary trees as windbreakersTrees (mainly Grevilia robusta) are planted about 1m apart along the edges of fields to protect against wind. |
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Note: Most of the Further information links are to a full description of the example in the WOCAT database. However sometimes the link may be to similar practices or a research paper. Occasionally the link is to a commercial product in which case it should be understood that this does not imply any endorsement of the product by iSQAPER.