Since the first settlements in the region more than 150 years ago, trees and shrubs have been planted to protect people, livestock and soils from the harsh Great Plains climate. Although shelterbelts are typically associated with farms and ranches, they are also used to protect and improve important community features such as parks, schools, large public properties, acreages, subdivisions and commercial areas. Shelterbelts also provide habitat for wildlife, they help reduce snow drifting and help screen unsightly views.
          Shelterbelts became very common in the Great Plains during and immediately following the Dust Bowl years of the 1930s. Such plantings were promoted by state and federal governments to help prevent soil erosion and improve crop production. The shelterbelt design has changed little from that era. Most still consist of just a few species of plants, including a row or two of evergreens, planted in straight lines. Time has proven this traditional method of design to have several shortcomings:
         A lack of plant diversity can lead to large sections of a shelterbelt dying quickly when certain diseases, insect pests or weather events impact a planting. Recently, this has become a very serious problem in southeast Nebraska with the sudden loss of many Scotch pines (Pinus sylvestris) from Pine Wilt Disease. Scotch pine has become the most commonly planted tree around farms and acreages and it is possible that millions of trees in the region could die in the coming years.
          Evergreens planted tightly in rows can suffer from several needle blight diseases in the more humid air of eastern Nebraska.
          Species choices often do not reflect soil and topographical changes that occur within the planting line of many shelterbelts.
          To help improve the long-term success of shelterbelt plantings in and around communities, the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum has developed the following design recommendations. The suggestions are reflected in the accompanying design drawing and recommended species lists.
         Shelterbelts should contain a broader diversity of trees and shrubs than they have in the past. This does not mean planting one of everything, but rather the use of several species in complementary groupings. A good rule of thumb is to limit any single species to no more than 20 percent of the total planting.
          In the more humid air of eastern Nebraska, evergreen trees are often more prone to foliar diseases. This is especially true where trees are planted tightly together, as in many older shelter plantings. For this reason, new shelterbelts in eastern Nebraska should never be a solid wall of evergreens, but should include many deciduous trees and shrubs. In fact it is very possible to have an effective shelterbelt here with no evergreens at all.
          In the more arid western Nebraska, evergreens are less prone to foliar diseases and in general are better able to survive the frequent drought conditions than most deciduous types. As such, evergreens will likely be a larger component of a shelterbelt in the western part of the state.
          Several species of deciduous trees and shrubs hold their leaves well into winter or have denser branching that allows them to block more winter wind. Such plants can be used as alternatives to evergreens and include white oak, swamp white oak, shingle oak, boxelder maple, wayfaringtree viburnum and American plum, among others.
          Species selection should better reflect soil conditions. More specifically, species selection should change when soils move from dry uplands to wetter bottom areas. Many shelter plantings go up and down slopes without any change in species.

Recommended Species
          Certain plants lend themselves better to the tough conditions of a shelterbelt where they are often expected to survive on natural precipitation only. The following is a partial list of some of the most reliable species that can be used in shelter plantings. An E indicates plants suitable primarily to the eastern third of the state while a W is for plants that are better adapted to the more arid environment of western Nebraska. All others are considered to be adaptable to most of the state.

Medium/Large Deciduous Trees
Acer ginnala – Amur maple (E)
Acer miyabei – Miyabe maple (E)
Acer negundo – boxelder maple
Acer tataricum – tatarian maple
Aesculus glabra – Ohio buckeye
Amelanchier alnifolia – serviceberry
Catalpa speciosa – northern catalpa
Celtis occidentalis – hackberry
Eleagnus angustifolia – Russian olive (W)
Euonymus bungeanus – winterberry euonymus
Fraxinus nigra – black ash
Fraxinus pennsylvanica – green ash
Gleditsia triacanthos – honeylocust
Gymnocladus dioica – coffeetree
Juglans nigra – black walnut
Malus spp. – crabapple
Phellodendron amurense – Amur cork tree
Populus deltoides – cottonwood
Ptelea trifoliata – hoptree (E)
Quercus bicolor – swamp white oak (E)
Quercus gambelii – gambel oak
Quercus macrocarpa – bur oak
Quercus muehlenbergii – chinkapin oak (E)
Ulmus spp. – elm hybrids
Ulmus americana – American elm

Evergreen Trees
Abies concolor – concolor fir
Juniperus spp. – cedar/juniper (W)
Picea abies – Norway spruce (E)
Picea glauca – Black Hills spruce
Picea pungens – Colorado spruce
Pinus aristata – bristlecone pine (W)
Pinus banksiana – Jack pine
Pinus cembroides – pinyon pine (W)
Pinus flexilis – limber pine
Pinus heldreichii – Bosnian pine (E)
Pinus mugo – mugo pine
Pinus nigra – Austrian pine
Pinus ponderosa – ponderosa pine
Pseudotsuga menziesii - Douglasfir

Tough Shrubs
Caragana arborescens – Siberian peashrub
Cercocarpus montanus – mtn. mahogany (W)
Cornus drumondii – roughleaf dogwood
Cornus mas – corneliancherry dogwood (E)
Cotoneaster acutifolia – Peking cotoneaster
Juniperus spp. – juniper
Prunus americana – American plum
Prunus tomentosa – Nanking cherry
Prunus virginiana – chokecherry
Rhus spp. – sumac
Ribes spp. – currant
Rosa rugosa – rugosa rose
Sambucus canadensis – elderberry
Shepherdia argentea – silver buffaloberry
Syringa spp. – lilac
Viburnum lantana – wayfaringtree
Viburnum lentago – nannyberry viburnum (E)