USSR FIELD SHELTER BELT PLANTING BY THE NEST METHOD

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600330465-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 29, 2011
• Sequence Number: 465
• Publication Date: August 7, 1950
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPORT
CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL
"DEC. :?41
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS CD NO.
COUNTRY USSR
SUBJECT Economic; Scientific - Afforestation
HOW
PUBLISHED Bimonthly periodical
WHERE
PUBLISHED Moscow
DATE
PUBLISHED Sep/Oct 1949
OF THi UNITIO IUTII WITHIN THN ;r'' -
?? ????_^--- ?- V. S. D.. l1 AND ll. Al ?NINDII. ITS TNANnunDH ON TNI tOIIaTION
NIIITS ITTLAW I NIPIOGYDNTIION o, AXIS FOR ^ III -IIOHINIITIDD. IS -IO? NAUTH
DATE OF
INFORMATION 1949
DATE DIST.I Aug 1950
NO. OF PAGES 8
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
USSR FIELD .SHELTER BELT PLAffPING
BY T.HE NEST METHOD
In accordance with the Party and State decree of 20 October 1948)
scientific research. institutes and forest managements are perfecting the
nest method for planting field shelter belts. The All-Union Academy of
nest with working
has sbeen of the entrusted
Agricultural Sciences imeni V. I. Lenin
out methodological procedures in the application
The main obstacle to be overcome during the first growing years of
tree plantings in the steppe zones is not lack of moisture or drought,
but the wild steppe vegetation, above all such varieties as couch grass
(Agropyron repens) and sedge (Carex caespitosa), etc.
To reduce the amount of labor and materiels required for keeping
planted areas clear of weedy steppe vegetation, it is necessary to sow
or plant rapidly growing shade trees and shrubs. The crowns of such
species will. interlock after 4-5 years of growth and weeds will not be
able to grow under theep trees.
Experience as sho.'n;.however, that certain epecies oftreeees anddoshrubs
which grow rapidly during-their early years in the steppes of
USSR cannot long withstand steppe climatic conditionik when standing alone,
swe well l inas
and are very short-lived. But,.shade trees and dosdoeendure
such
the steppe zones when growing under a canopy of
oak, pine, and several others. Hence, it iissdexpedient
tto psandslant long-on-
lived species, mainly oak, in the steppes
trees and shrubs.
Junction with rapidly growing species
Although rapidly growing species, from the fourth or fifth year
artefteT
planting, do discourage the growth of wild steppe grass he s the more slowly gthe cofsthof.tree e slower rgrowinggspecies. tAs aeresult,
they also hinder the growth
the long-lived species as well as the steppe grass are killed off.
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-1- CONFIDENTIAL
FIDENTIAL
2iBUTION
Agrcbioogiya, No 5, 1949.
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GTE FIDENT3!I
According to the method used up to this time in steppe afforestation
work, seedlings of one species are planted alternately frequent seedlings) other species. During the first
too life of
steppe vegetation. After
soil cultivation is necessary
the crown of the rapidly growing species become interlocked, to resultant
h species
shade keeps the grass down but at the same time retards the gr the such as oak, which grow more slowly and turt ermore, consid-
erable manual labor is required to expose
Experience over a long period of time has shown that this process of
exposing oak trees to the light, which they require, is so laborious that the it frequently cannot be done in time to save he trees. on begin to thee heaand,
steppe seedlings set out without a canopy of oak
before they are 20 years old. Shade trees and shrub species are in good
totie long-lived hose old plantings where a canopy
condition at the present
of oak, pine,
Plantings with canopies must be set up in those zones affected by
dithusufar for
the decree of 20 October 1948. Since the old mhod used
such plantings consumed too much time, biological
were called upon to devise a method which would create the most favor-
able growing conditions possible with the expenditure of a minimum amount
of work and materials. The nest method of shelter belt planting met these
requirements.,
Beginning in the spring of 1950, all shelter belt work is to be car-
ried out according to the nest method, which includes nest planting of
long-lived and rapidly growing tree seeds and row sowing of shrub seeds.
Oak is to be used in all new shelter belt plantings where the soil is favor-
able to; its growth.,
Planting the seeds of such long-lived species asiooak ak and pineoinhnests
(or mounds) is a w`ans of protecting the young omith spncres of
of both steppe vegetation and the other more rapidly g saozd
trees and shrubs. Seeds of rapidly growing species are similarly p
in nests, while shrub seeds are sown in rows. The shelter belts thus
encroach-
according to the nest method are further protected o duaggatissscncroac
ments of steppe couch grass and sedge by riual has ultural
crops or perennial grasses along both their sides. Experience
shown that these grain crops and perennial grasses do not in any way
the growth of the trees and shrubs.
In the spring of 1949, acorns were planted according to the nest method
on more than 2,000 hectares throughout the country. The largest single
n
nest method planting of 155 hectares was carried out at All-Uonlanted
Selection and Genetics Institute near Odessa. E ant teAhettares'Lw ni ere of
on the fields of the Institute for Hybridization
Animals at Askaniya-Nova in Kherson Oblast. Plantings at other research
institutes and on the fields of some sovkhozes varied between 5 and 40
hectares, while they ranged from 0.5 to 5 hectares on the fields of several 'lkh
places. In most cases, 15
Good reults to Oo oak .seedlingsebegan toegro~in each nest.
At the Selection and Genetics institute, the main planting was carried
out on a belt 50.meters wide, 22 kilometers long, comprising 110 hectares,
and running along the sides of fields devoted to seed growing. Ten rows
ctares
of nests were planted with acorns in thel t. hect
and 15 hectares, the latter forming a part the '
field shelter belts, were also planted according to the nest method. Secon-
dary tree seeds will be planted and shrub seeds onialltthreesareas
tr.
in the fall. Secondary trees will be maple
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The field shelter belts planted with acorns run along the sides of
fields in various stages of the crop-rotation system. No special soil
preparation work was required for acorn planting since the soil of each
field had been prepared for the crop which was to be grown on it. Conse-
quently, many different varieties of agricultural crops served as nurse
crops to the seedling oak trees. These included winter wheat, oats, barley,
sunflowers, flax, potatoes, and winter alfalfa. Some fields were also
lying fallow during 1949.
During the 11 months from June 1948 to may 1949, the total precipi-
tation which fell on the fields of the institute amounted to only 146
millimeters as compared to an annual average of 323 millimeters for this
period. Heavier rains fell only after June 1949. In spite of these
abnormally dry conditions prevailing until June, the acorns sprouted well
and The plants developed roots 70 centimeters in length by 23 June.
In the author's article "Exper!=--utal PlantinggsrofoShShelter elter Belts by
the Nest Method," published in January 949,
the strips of grain or other nurse crops on the shelter belt area be 4
meters wide, leaving one-meter-wide strips between them for the planting
of acorns. These meter-wide strips would, of course, have to be weeded
during the summer. The total area per hectare of shelter belt to be weeded
would aggregate 1,500 square meters.
On the fields of the institute, the meter-wide bare strips were reduced
in width, and nurse crops were planted right up to-the acorn-planted nests.
The acorns sprouted and began to grow just as well under these conditions
as under those where the nurse crop was further removed. On the basis
of this experience, it is now recommended that the latter method be fol-
lowed during the first 2 years of the shelter belt's existence, with rever-
sion to the former method beginning with the third year.
The nest method of planting shelter belts has the following advantages:
L The nest method creates ideal growing conditions for primary tree
seedlings in the dry steppe zones. The nurse crops give them
gesatdon
which they require for the first 2 years, prevent wild steppe tvhget. Under
from encroaching upon them, and protect them from strong, dry
these conditions, the young oaks grow as well as in the best nurseries.
in fact, nest-planted oaks will be better developed, taller, and ickerd
in diameter after 5-10 years than would nursery-grown oaks, 1-3 years ,
when transplanted to the shelter belts at the same age.
2. Shelter belt planting by the nest method requires the expenditure
of less labor and material than the planting method hitherto used in forestry
work. Manual planting of acorns in nests requires about 3 man-days per
hectare of shelter belt. Planting of maple and other secondary tree species
requires 1-2 man-days per hectare. Sowing of shrub seeds requires hardly
any additional labor since it is carried out simultaneously with the sowing
of rye, the nurse crop sown when shrubs are put in. Thus, the total labor
required for planting one hectare of shelter belt by the nest method is
4_5 man-days. If special planting machines are used, the labor required
is still less. Scarcely any labor is needed for weeding and other mainten-
ance work on the shelter belt.
3. The land on which the shelter belt has been planted can still be
that years
used for growing
agricultural power
existence. Thearrangement a ofcthesnests during tsuch early
machinery can be used for sowing and harvesting the crops.
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'-A n
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CONFT.DENTTAL
Another important advantage of the nest method in combination with the
use of the land for agricultural purposes during the first 4 years of th::
shelter belt?s existence is that it permits the accumulation of moisture
in the soil.. Moisture accumulation is important in the steppe zones for
the trees, especially oak, to develop deeply penetrating root systems, so
that they will not begin to dry up and die off during the second and third
decades of their lives.
Moisture accumulation in the soil will be increased by the large
amounts of snow which collect in the shelter belts during the winter.
If not too many trees are concentrated on a given area, much of the water
resulting from the melting of snow will soak deep into the soil. The roots
of shrubs and agricultural crops lie nearer to the surface and will not
consume much of the moisture which has penetrated to lower levels.
When planted according to the nest method, trees are comparatively
few in number and at the same time evenly distributed over an area. Trees
planted in this manner will draw less moisture from the lower soil levels
than trees planted in rows 1,?5 meters apart and spaced 0.6 meter from each
other in the row?
The advantages of the nest method cited above will enable every kolkhoz
and sovkhoz to exceed its shelter belt planting plan in the spring.of 1950.
For that reason, the procurement of as large a quantity of tree seeds,
especially acorns, as possible is a primary task of the kolkhozes and sov-
khozes, The quantity of acorns available will determine the extent to which
the shelter belt planting plan is met and exceeded.
Types of fields on which spring planting of shelter belts is planned
include;; fields plowed during the fall for the planting of spring grains,
other agricultural crops, or perennial grasses; fields lying fallow on
which winter grains are to be planted; fields planted with winter grains
and perennial grasses. Highest priority belts are those to be planted along
the aides of cultivated fields on kolkhozes or sovkhozes where the whole
area is under the plow, and those to be planted along the sides of arable
fields where all land is not at present under the plow.
The width and composition (long-lived or rapidly growing species and
tothe
regarding shelter belt planting. Oak is from
shbs to be decree of 20 October ) 1948 field
planted on all soils where it will grow.
In the description of shelter belt planting which follows it is assumed
that oak is the long-lived species being planted.
The area on which a shelter belt is to be planted is marked off so
that nest rows, running along the sides of a field, will be 5 meters apart.
Perpendiculars 3 meters apart are drawn across the rows with the result
that there will be 667 points per hectare where the perpendiculars intersect
the rows. At and around each of the intersection points, 30-35 germinated
acorns are planted. About one centner of germinated acorns is required to
plant a hectare of shelter belt in this manner.
Acorn planting should be done only in spring. Fall planting is not
recommended because of danger to the seeds from frost and field rodents.
It is very important that the acorns planted in spring sprout before
being planted, since they will then take root and begin to grow much faster.
When unsprouted acorns are planted in steppe zone's, it is possible that the
upper soil layers will dry out before the young roots have had an oppor-
tunity to fasten themselves into the soil. Acorns which sprout very late
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will not be able to develop roo', systems capable of withstanding dry winds
and high t?emperatrues:. Early sprouting acorns, on the other hand, will have
driven their roots a meter deep into the soil by the time July and August
heat and drought arrive
It is significant that on the same field where late sprouting oak seed-
lings did not survive, early sprouting plants not only lived but showed no
signs of suffering from drought.. Therefore, emphasis must be laid on early
spring planting and early sprout.tng of acorns,.
To effect preplanting sprouting of acorns, special attention must be
paid. to their storage during winner, The best way to store them is in
trenches one meter wide and one meter deep. Immediately after they have
been collected in the fall, they should be placed in the trench in suc-
cesaive one to two-acorn thick layers and each layer should be covered
with 1 to 2 centimeters of soil of normal moisture. The upper 20 centimeters
of the trench should be filled in with soil only. To prevent fall rains
from soaking into the trench, a mound of earth is heaped above it. The
height of the mound over and around the trench is increased with the first
frosts to prevent freezing of the acorns in the trench.
During winter, and especially 1 to 12 months before spring planting,
the acorns in the trench must be examined.. The acorns will usually develop
sprouts during winter when stored by this method., But if less than 10eper-
cen*? of the acorns have germinated a month before spring planting,
must be removed from the trench together with the soil and must spread
out 1520 renti.meters deep in a building heated to 7-12 degrees. In this
building, germination must be feresd co that the acorns can be planted in
a sprouted condition when spring planting time comes. The soil must be
kept moist enough to encourage germination.
In early spring, the belt to be planted is marked off as already des-
cribed.. During this period, the acorns are dug from the trenches or brought
from the forced germination buildings and hauled to the field. There they
are deposited in heaps 100 meters apart, each heap containing enough acorns
to plant 100 meters of belt. The acorns must abenkept
tiin a n aimoistnconditions>
at all times, and for. that reason are to 'be After the acorns have been deposited in heaps on the field, a quan-
tity of mycorhizal earth, obtained from under oak plantings or from nur-
series where oak seedlings are grown and equal to about half the volume
of the acorns, is poured over them. The acorns must be kept covered with
earth so that they do not dry out.
Planting is carried out as follows: the planters place a quantity
of acorns and mycorhizal earth into a pail and walk along nt in previous a
marked off lines. At each point where a perpendicular
row line, the planter digs a hole with a hoe, places six or seven acorns
into it, adds a small quantity of mycorhizal earth, covers the acorns with a
4 to 6-centimeter layer of soil, presses down the soil with his foot, and
covers the planted spot with a 1 to 2_centimeter layer of pulverized soil.
The planting depth for acorns should be from 5 to 7 centimeters. Along
the circumference of a circle with a radius of 30 centimeters from the
first hole, the planter makes four more holes and repeats the original
procedure. The completed nest then consists of five holes each planted
with from six to seven acorns for a total of 30 to 35 acorns planted in
each nest.
After the acorns have been planted (or before their planting, in
some cases) the entire field, including the sheltero belt system. e area, isasong of
rotation
with the agricultural seed called for by the
the agricultural crop need not necessarily wait for completion of acorn
planting.
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Often shelter belt areus must be laid out and acorns planted on fields
on which winter grains have been sown during the preceding fall or on which
perennial grasses are growing. In such cases, circular areas with diameters
of 50.60 centimeters are cleared off with a hoe and planting is carried
out as described above. Conversely, if acorns have already been planted
on clear or fallow-lying fields, or if soil preparation work must be car-
ried out on fields to be planted after acorn planting has been completed,
the areas lying between nest rows (each about 4 meters wide) must be prepared
as are the fields.
After the agricultural crop has been harvested, it is necessary to
disk or shallow plow (15.17 centimeters) and then to harrow the 4-meter-
wide areas between nest rows, leaving untouched. the one-meter-wide strips
on which the nests are located.
When fall sowing time comes, rye is sown on the entire shelter belt
area, including the meter-wide strip occupied by the nests. Sowing on
the 4-meter-wide areas is done with a 24-row disk drill.
Of the 24 feed tubes on the drill, three tubes--the sixth, twelfth,
and nineteenth--must not sow rye, but shrub seeds. In most cases, the
shrub seed will be Siberian acacia (Caragana arborescens) mixed with other
species, but the choice of shrub seed will depend on soil, climatic, and
economic conditions. The outer rows of shrubs will then be 152.5 centi-
meters from the center of the strip on which the oak seedlings are grow-
ing and the distances between rows of shrubs will be 90 and 105 centimeters.
Partitions are installed in the seed box of the drill so as to segre-
gate the portions serving the sixth, twelfth, and nineteenth feed tubes.
To control the shrub-seed-sowing rate, appropriate amounts of rye are
added to the shrub seeds.
The meter-wide strips occupied by oak seedlings are sown with a horse-
drawn ten-row drill. Sowing must be carried out directly up to the nests.
After this has been done, the entire shelter belt area will have been
solidly sown with rye, with three rows of shrubs sown into the rye.
Larger shrub seeds, hazelnut (Corylus avellana) for example, which
cannot be sown in the manner described, must be planted with a hoe. They
are to be planted in the same rows as the previously sown shrub seeds,
in holes made with a hoe 1.5-2 meters apart; 5-10 seeds are to be planted
in each hole.
Also, before the first fall frost, secondary tree seeds must be planted
between the nests of oak seedlings in the direction of the nest rows.
The species chosen depends on conditions prevailing in the given region.
The choice may include various maples (Ater), birch (Betual), linden (Tilia),
ash (Fraxinus), various elms (Ulmaceae), wild pear (Pyrus communis), apple
(Pyrus malus), apricot (Pyrus armeniaca), and many others which-will thrive
under a canopy of oak.
Seeds of rapidly growing trees planted in one hole should not be
mixed but should be of the same species. The best method of all is to
plant one species in one row and another species in another row. Fruit
trees as well as rapidly growing species should be planted.
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CONFIDENTIAL
The planting of rapidly growing tree seeds, which must be done in
the fallproceeds as followba a hole is made with a hoe midway between
two oak 'nests, 20-30 seeds are
seeds are pcovverinto the ed with 4 to hole, 5 and if the centimeterspofi
happens soil.
hto be ample, ,
The planting depth varies slightly with different species.
By the following spring, typical shelter belt might present the fol-
lowing appearance.
1. The centers of nests occupied by young oaks entering the second
e two
year of their life will be 5 meters distant from centers ofrphndicular
neighboring nests in the nest row direction, 3 meters
direction.
2. In the 4--meter-wide corridor between nest rows, there will be
three rows of sprouting Siberian acacia mixed with other shrubs; the
intervals between the three rows will be 90 and
di105 centimeters; Cher outer-
most rows of shrubs will be 152.5 centimeters
the oak nest rows.
3. Secondary tree seeds, maple or acme other species, will be sprout-
ing in the smaller nests located in the oak nest rows midway between oak
nests.
if. The entire shelter belt will be protected by its rye nurse crop.
When. the rye has ripened, it must be cut as far from the ground
as possible in order to leave a high stubble for holding snow on the young
shelter belt.
When fall sowing time comes, rye is again sown but without presoving
soil preparation. At that time and subsequently, rye is only sown in the
4--meter-wide corridor then occupied by shrubs. The wheel-to-wheel width
of the 24-row tractor drill is 4.1 meters. Therefore, the corridors are
sown by one sweep of the drill.
The strips occupied by the 2-year-old oaks and one-year-olds maples
or other supplementary tree species are not sown with rye
above no longer benefits oaks after the beginning of the third year of
their life.
When the Siberian acacia or other shrubs are 2 years old, their tops
will be cut off when the rye is harvested. This cutting will serve a
useful purpose since Siberian acacia, for example, will then branch out
much better.
In fall, with the Siberian acacia not quite ,2 years old and the oaks
3 years old, rye is sown once more as it was the year before. When it is
harvested, the shrubs will be cut off again, but once more for the best
interests of their future development.
At this harvest time, the oaks will already yearsbold,wthe secoxl
dary trees and. shrubs 3 years old.
on its own.
By the time it is if years old and twice cut back, Siberian acacia
will have covered the entire area around it and steppe vegetation will
no longer be able to encroach on it. The oaks and other trees will also be
shading the soil by this time.
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C01 NF E M 1L4L
CONFIDENTIAL
Forest trees suffer from steppe grass as Such
sedge (Carer ic caespitosa),
steppe grasses as couch grass (Agropyr repens), sedge
ito
and Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) grow under condi-
tions and in various regions; in steppe formation they play one and the
sane role; they are the front-line fighters in the struggle of the steppe
against the forest. The forest's front-line fighters in the war against
the steppe are those species which kill steppe grass with their shade.
The nest method of planting shelter belts are described above gives
the young forest vegetation the protection it requires from steppe vege-
tation. Once having attained some degree of maturity, the forest will
be able to hold its own against its steppe plant enemies.
In the line with the struggle for survival taking place in nature, it
is necessary to select species'of trees which will'guickly be able to stand
tip against their steppe plant enemies. At the same time, it is..-necessary to
choose species which will live-for a long time in the steppe. Since.they
fulfill these prerequisites, oak, pine (on sands), and several others are
recommended as long-lived species, maple and others as rapidly growing spe-
cies, ld l it must bea ll ther rapidly.growing spat- eciest
grows ws slowly, , P
and shrubs.
Practicing foresters should not raise objections to the nest-planting
method since in natural mixed forests oaks are always found in nests during
the early years of their life, and the individual oak trees are always
protected in the forest by other tree species. The fear that 20-30 young
oaks are too many for the area occupied by one nest is unfounded. Since
the object is not to raise all the seedlings but to establish a shelter
belt, it will be sufficient if only two or three seedlings each
htnests
survive and finally emerge as trees that will live 30-50 years.
survival rate, there will be more than a thousand oaks, as well as about
an equal number of rapidly growing trees such as maple, on each hectare
of shelter belt.
C IEIBENTIAL
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