FOREST AND EANGE EESOUECES OF UTAH 



73 



The purpose of the shelter belt and the farm woodland in Utah 

 is threefold: To provide protection from drying winds in summer 

 and cold winds in winter; to supply cheap material for fuel, posts, 

 and miscellaneous farm timber; and to make the community more 

 attractive to home builders and home seekers. (Fig. 40.) 



Figure 89. — A successful plantation 



A shelter belt furnishes a valuable protection to crops. The rate 

 of evaporation of moisture from the soil and from plant foliage 

 varies with the wind velocity. Obviously, any factor that will reduce 

 wind velocity will likewise reduce the evaporation of moisture and 

 cause a corresponding reduction in the amount of water necessary to 

 produce a full crop of any kind on the land. In Utah, where water 



FlGUEE 40. 



-A real farm windbreak — shade for stock, a saving in fuel, and a source 

 of revenue 



conservation is one of the main problems, this function of the shelter 

 belt is especially important. 



The usefulness of the shelter belt in winter is equally pronounced. 

 A house protected from wind is more comfortable, and can be heated 

 with less fuel. Stock protected from the winter winds do better than 



