The Great Depression of the 1930s set the stage for "the greatest afforestation program the world has known" when the Forest Service was given the task of planting shelterbelts from Texas to Canada in a zone a hundred miles wide. The venture, known as the Prairie States Forestry Project or the Shelterbelt Project, resulted in the planting of millions of trees between 1834 and 1942. Today, the millions of trees planted in the Depression stand as a monument to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who originated the idea of the project, and to friends of environmental concern everywhere. Not all the trees are living, and many of the belts have been removed in the interest of technological advances in Plains' agriculture or the farmer's decision to increase his planting acreage. Conservationists and spokesmen in government have become alarmed by the destruction of the belts. The time has come to re-evaluate the importance of trees to the environment of the prairies and plains of mid-America, for recent droughts again created a need to plant trees to combat erosion and to make the region more hospitable to the people who live there and who provide the world with its bread.

The Great Plains, known for grasslands that stretch to the horizon, is a difficult region to define. Some classify it as the region beginning in the east at the ninety-eighth or one-hundredth meridian. Others identify the eastern boundary with annual precipitation lines, soil composition, or length of the grass. In The Big Empty, leading historian R. Douglas Hurt defines this region using the towns and cities—Denver, Lincoln, and Fort Worth—that made a difference in the history of the environment, politics, and agriculture of the Great Plains. Using the voices of women homesteaders, agrarian socialists, Jewish farmers, Mexican meatpackers, New Dealers, and Native Americans, this book creates a sweeping survey of contested race relations, radical politics, and agricultural prosperity and decline during the twentieth century. This narrative shows that even though Great Plains history is fraught with personal and group tensions, violence, and distress, the twentieth century also brought about compelling social, economic, and political change. The only book of its kind, this account will be of interest to historians studying the region and to anyone inspired by the story of the men and women who found an opportunity for a better life in the Great Plains.

The answers to the questions of why and how people live where they live as well as how they maintain and integrate with one another are fundamental human settlement issues rooted in history and culture. Human settlements are historically linked to resource availability, fortification, and the mythos of civilizations. Cities play a central role in redefining the interface between human beings and nature. They have revolutionized the human experience by taming natural surroundings and building environments that are human-centric—often narrowing human life outside the experience of wilderness or the untamed. This book is divided into three parts, it examines urban development trends, explores perspectives in energy efficiency and agriculture security, and considers policy development and future scenarios in human-nature relations. It is a compendium of multidisciplinary work that challenges the directions of modernity and offers reference to alternatives. Authors come from a diverse background and international context to address common overarching theories facing current geography-specific problems. An interconnected overtone of the book attempts to link accelerated urbanization and settlement location to how societies are maintained and integrated. Human settlements are shaped by human ecology and the relationship between humans and their interaction with their environment. Two sectors central to human survival are specifically explored: energy and agriculture. Cutting-edge, smart development looks at the latest findings that reflect the on-going debate facing these sectors. A human settlement metric is envisioned in terms of the past, present, and future. This book is a unique attempt to combine a rethinking about human settlements for scientists, policy-makers, public officials, and people committed to improving urban life, society-wide. Possible agents to resolving human settlement problems include international cooperation and various mechanisms that interlace the international community. Methodological and applied aspects of sustainable management focus on topics such as adaptive knowledge sharing, renewable energy, climate change, agricultural planning, and policy development. An emphasis on scientific and technological advancement, from a bottom-up mapping of society, elucidates a better understanding of the role of knowledgeable societies in which need is considered alongside how such need can be sustained—advancing towards a more promising future.

Urban trees on the prairies are essential to our changing landscape environment. I have helped thousands of people with their tree problems over the past 43 years. Tree diseases and how to deal with them continue to plague a very large number of people. "Where can we get more information about these tree problems?" is a question I am constantly being asked. This book will help you to narrow the search for the problems plaguing your trees by going through the images and accompanied text. As well, there are also helpful detailed instructions on how to take care of the nutritional requirements of your trees. Keeping a tree healthy can reduce its susceptibility to diseases much as good nutrition does with people and animals. You can always reach me on line at www.treeexperts.mb.ca if you need any further help. Enjoy your trees!

Everything you need to know for a quick and beautiful yard on the Canadian prairies. Creating and maintaining the perfect yard on the prairies isn’t as hard as you might think, but the short growing season doesn’t give you much time to transform your winter-weary yard into a glorious garden. To help homeowners in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba get the jump on the short season, popular gardening expert Lyndon Penner has created the essential guide to a quick and beautiful yard in the prairie provinces. With gardening smarts, style and wit, Lyndon covers everything both novice and expert gardeners need to know, along with tips you won’t find anywhere else. Contains more than 200 beautiful, colour photos. Quickly find what you need to know about climate zones, soil, colour, texture and shade. Understand your yard’s potential. Pick the best bulbs, perennials, trees and shrubs for your yard. Deal with insects and plant diseases in environmentally friendly ways. Shop smarter at garden centres. Attract animals you want to your garden, and keep away the ones you don’t. Another version of this book, The Chinook Short Season Yard, is available for gardeners who live in the southern Alberta chinook zone. Get a free ebook through the Shelfie app with the purchase of a print copy.