Planting Trees

Abstract

Chapter six analyzes the massive efforts that went into planting trees on the steppes. Specialists in Russia and around the world believed that forests had considerable environmental benefits, in particular moderating climates and increasing rainfall. There were also practical benefits from the products of forests. For a long time, the main solution to the environmental barriers to arable farming and to environmental changes on the steppes was seen as planting trees. This proved much harder in practice and many attempts failed. Among the few settlers who succeeded were Mennonites and some estate owners. With the development of scientific steppe forestry, Russians learned how to cultivate trees on the steppes. Early hopes of changing the climate through large scale tree planting did not materialize. Instead, attention was focused on planting shrubs and trees to bind drifting sands, planting shelterbelts of trees to serve as barriers to the winds, and planting trees in ravines to prevent erosion.