Join Bob Henrickson and Justin Evertson on a guided tour at the beautiful Prairie Pines Nature Preserve to learn about the tree and shrub demonstration and research plots managed by the Nebraska Forest Service to help determine species suitable to windbreaks and working landscapes in eastern Nebraska.

Since 2014, the Nebraska Forest Service and Nebraska Statewide Arboretum have cooperated with the UNL School of Natural Resources to plant and evaluate species that are not typically included in windbreaks or conservation plantings. To date about 60 different species have been planted in these randomized trials. Many of the backbone species of windbreaks in Nebraska including Scotch pine, Austrian pine and green ash are no longer suitable for planting and other species are also starting to be problematic. These research plots will help identify species to be utilized in greater numbers going forward.