Trees Against the Wind

In Trees Against the Wind, William Schroeder brings to life the inspiration, the people, the science, the business and the politics behind prairie shelterbelts. This enlightening history is a tribute to the thousands of innovative prairie farmers who planted trees to shelter their homes and land, and to Norman M. Ross, Chief of the Tree Planters who, from 1901 to 1941, shaped, promoted and fought for the program that ultimately distributed over 600 million trees to western Canadian farmers. Complemented by over 130 archival photos and maps, this 288-page publication provides an important and captivating perspective on prairie history and heightened appreciation for the connection between people and trees on the prairies.

A graduate of the University of Saskatchewan, Bill Schroeder worked as a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Indian Head, Saskatchewan for 35 years. As principal scientist in one of Canada’s longest running tree programs, his research focused on genetic improvement of trees for environmental services on agricultural land, and development of modern agroforestry systems for the Canadian prairies. His research is recognized globally and utilized by researchers and land managers worldwide. The results of his research have touched almost every farm in western Canada, as witnessed by the thousands of shelterbelts that dot the prairie landscape.