The myth of tree planting on the Great Plains

As Euro-American settlers began to occupy the plains, according to much of the literature written about the Great Plains, an important activity in the process of settlement was tree planting. Was this a myth perpetuated by promoters of Great Plains settlement, but not actually practiced by Great Plains dwellers? How have ideas and practices regarding tree planting changed during the past one hundred years, and how have these changes affected the Great Plains landscape? York County, Nebraska, was the sample study area. Primary historical data combined with aerial photographs, field surveys, and questionnaires provided the necessary information to answer the above questions and to map and analyze the changing tree planting patterns. Changes were found in the locations of trees planted, but not in the basic ideas behind the changes. In the 1800s, trees were planted in orchards and forest groves to provide fruit and wood that were not available locally on the Great Plains. By the 1930s, when fruit and fuel and fences were available by other sources, trees were planted for shade and ornamentation around homes, and in field windbreaks in cooperation with government programs. As farms grew in size and farming methods changed, the trees disappeared from the fields and were planted around the homes both as ornamentation and for house windbreaks. Throughout the changes of the various time periods, the farmer\u27s perception of the economic situation of land values and what should be the most effective use of the land was primary in his decision to plant trees and where they should be planted. In all time periods, the promotion of tree planting benefits seems to have been greater than the actual planting of trees. Although the myth of a land to be covered with trees remains, the practical use of the land is foremost in the landowner\u27s future plans