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Tendencies in the Natural Revegetation of Wind Erosion Areas on the Northern Great Plains
Author(s) -
Caird Ralph W.
Publication year - 1936
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1936.036159950b1720010040x
Subject(s) - revegetation , natural (archaeology) , citation , erosion , soil conservation , aeolian processes , geography , agroforestry , environmental science , archaeology , geology , library science , computer science , geomorphology , land reclamation , agriculture
Areas on the northern Great Plains denuded of vegetation by drought, cultivation, grasshoppers, and blowing soil are being revegetated naturally by weeds and grasses and artificially by the planting of crops. It is the objective of the Soil Conservation Service to show how these areas way be revegetated in the quickest possible manner to the best advantage of the farmer. This paper is a preliminary report based on an intensive survey of the blowing areas in Beadle County, South Dakota, and the mapping of typical ones. Before lt was broken for farms, much of the area was in range. The chief grasses were western wheat (Aqropyron smithll). blue grama (Bouteloua gracllla). buffalo grass (Buchloi dacfryloi.des). and big bluestem (Andropogon furcatus. The natural tendency is back toward grassland. Farmers prefer to revegetate by artificial means, by planting crops. On certain areas, however, crop yields have been reduced by wind erosion that many farms have been abandoned. (Pig. 1) Blowing areas may be mapped into zones of soil loss and zones of soil deposition, upon which the conditions for recovery differ.