COLUMBUS, OH -- A comprehensive guide to planting and
maintaining forest windbreaks is now available through the Ohio
Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). The "Ohio Windbreak
Guide" is a 46-page, full-color manual that describes the
benefits of windbreaks and provides information on how to design
and plant them. Graphs and charts give the reader quick
reference to 16 common tree and shrub species used in
windbreaks. The guide provides information on how to select the
proper species for area, soil type and desired growth rate.
Windbreaks, or rows of trees and shrubs planted to protect open
farmland or structures, play a conserving role in Ohio
agriculture, especially in northwest Ohio where soils are highly
susceptible to wind erosion. Hundreds of miles of windbreaks
have been planted in northwest Ohio - including the Lake Erie
watershed - to prevent soil erosion and protect wildlife, while
reducing the effects of gusts on man-made structures. Copies of
the new guide are available from the ODNR Division of