RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Protecting the Breadbasket with Trees? The Effect of the Great Plains Shelterbelt Project on Agriculture
JF Land Economics
JO Land Econ
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 321
OP 344
DO 10.3368/le.97.2.321
VO 97
IS 2
A1 Tianshu Li
YR 2021
UL http://le.uwpress.org/content/97/2/321.abstract
AB Wind erosion is detrimental to agriculture. Planting shelterbelt trees is a common strategy to protect vulnerable areas. I estimate the impact of shelterbelts on agriculture while instrumenting the endogeneity of planted location with a designated zone under the Great Plains Shelterbelt Project—a massive tree-planting operation implemented in 1935–1942. I find a shift from cropland to pasture associated with higher shelterbelt coverage due to differential productivity changes in livestock and crop production. The revenue increase from livestock was contributed by cattle, while the decline in crop production mainly occurred in western counties owing to obstacles to adopting new irrigation technology.