Denbigh Experimental Forest
Encyclopedia
The Denbigh Experimental Forest 636 acres (2.6 km²) is an arboretum
and experimental forest operated by the Forest Service
of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It is located 15 miles (24 km) west of Towner, North Dakota
.
The forest contains about 30 species of woody plants, labeled and planted in a park-like setting, including Scots Pine
, Ponderosa Pine
, Siberian Larch
, Black Hills Spruce
, Elaeagnus
, and Rocky Mountain Juniper
. Wildlife includes deer
, wild turkey
s, porcupine
s, elk
, and sometimes moose
. The forest is also popular with birdwatchers.
The forest was established in 1931 on a site extensively over-plowed and overgrazed during the early part of the 20th century, leaving wind-blown sand dunes and economic hardship. It was originally envisioned as part of a grand plan by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to plant a 100 mile (160 km) wide "shelterbelt zone" from North Dakota
to north Texas
to reduce wind erosion and eliminate dust storms, as well as provide local employment in the Great Depression
via a jobs program. Proponents envisioned a forest as large as 480,000 acres (1900 km²) around the forest's current site.
This grand vision never came to pass, and the forest was established with the more modest goals of determining which types of shelterbelt trees would grow well in the northern Great Plains
, which seed sources within species are best adapted for the region, and which methods of tree establishment are most effective for shelterbelts. The Forest Service
acquired 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) of the 636 in 1931, and the State of North Dakota retained control of the other 596 acres (2.4 km²). In 1971, the Forest Service acquired the entire tract. The entire section has been managed as one unit for experimental purposes since 1931, however. More than 40 species were planted from throughout the United States
, Europe
, and Asia
, of which about 30 species have survived.
The forest has also been used cooperatively by the Custer National Forest
, North Dakota Forest Service, Agricultural Research service, and North Dakota State University
, Fargo. It is no longer being used for research, although it currently provides approximately 500,000 seedlings per year for wind protection of crops and communities throughout the United States
and Canada
.
The forest is now in the process of being de-commissioned and returned to the administrative control of the Custer National Forest
.
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
and experimental forest operated by the Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It is located 15 miles (24 km) west of Towner, North Dakota
Towner, North Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 574 people, 295 households, and 158 families residing in the city. The population density was 694.0 people per square mile . There were 335 housing units at an average density of 405.0 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 97.91% White, 0.35%...
.
The forest contains about 30 species of woody plants, labeled and planted in a park-like setting, including Scots Pine
Scots Pine
Pinus sylvestris, commonly known as the Scots Pine, is a species of pine native to Europe and Asia, ranging from Scotland, Ireland and Portugal in the west, east to eastern Siberia, south to the Caucasus Mountains, and as far north as well inside the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia...
, Ponderosa Pine
Ponderosa Pine
Pinus ponderosa, commonly known as the Ponderosa Pine, Bull Pine, Blackjack Pine, or Western Yellow Pine, is a widespread and variable pine native to western North America. It was first described by David Douglas in 1826, from eastern Washington near present-day Spokane...
, Siberian Larch
Larch
Larches are conifers in the genus Larix, in the family Pinaceae. Growing from 15 to 50m tall, they are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the north and high on mountains further south...
, Black Hills Spruce
White Spruce
Picea glauca is a species of spruce native to boreal forests in the north of North America, from central Alaska east to Newfoundland, and south to northern Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, upstate New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine; there is also an isolated population in the...
, Elaeagnus
Elaeagnus
Elaeagnus , silverberry or oleaster, is a genus of about 50–70 species of flowering plants in the family Elaeagnaceae.The vast majority of the species are native to temperate and subtropical regions of Asia. Elaeagnus triflora extends from Asia south into northeastern Australia, while E...
, and Rocky Mountain Juniper
Juniperus scopulorum
Juniperus scopulorum is a species of juniper native to western North America, in Canada in British Columbia and southwest Alberta, in the United States from Washington east to North Dakota, south to Arizona and also locally western Texas, and northernmost Mexico from Sonora east to Coahuila...
. Wildlife includes deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
, wild turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
s, porcupine
Porcupine
Porcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend or camouflage them from predators. They are indigenous to the Americas, southern Asia, and Africa. Porcupines are the third largest of the rodents, behind the capybara and the beaver. Most porcupines are about long, with...
s, elk
Red Deer
The red deer is one of the largest deer species. Depending on taxonomy, the red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor, parts of western Asia, and central Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Morocco and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being...
, and sometimes moose
Moose
The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
. The forest is also popular with birdwatchers.
The forest was established in 1931 on a site extensively over-plowed and overgrazed during the early part of the 20th century, leaving wind-blown sand dunes and economic hardship. It was originally envisioned as part of a grand plan by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to plant a 100 mile (160 km) wide "shelterbelt zone" from North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
to north Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
to reduce wind erosion and eliminate dust storms, as well as provide local employment in the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
via a jobs program. Proponents envisioned a forest as large as 480,000 acres (1900 km²) around the forest's current site.
This grand vision never came to pass, and the forest was established with the more modest goals of determining which types of shelterbelt trees would grow well in the northern Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
, which seed sources within species are best adapted for the region, and which methods of tree establishment are most effective for shelterbelts. The Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
acquired 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) of the 636 in 1931, and the State of North Dakota retained control of the other 596 acres (2.4 km²). In 1971, the Forest Service acquired the entire tract. The entire section has been managed as one unit for experimental purposes since 1931, however. More than 40 species were planted from throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, of which about 30 species have survived.
The forest has also been used cooperatively by the Custer National Forest
Custer National Forest
Custer National Forest is located primarily in the southern part of the U.S. state of Montana but also has separate sections in northwestern South Dakota. With a total area of 1,278,279 acres , the forest comprises over 10 separate sections...
, North Dakota Forest Service, Agricultural Research service, and North Dakota State University
North Dakota State University
North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, more commonly known as North Dakota State University , is a public university in Fargo, North Dakota. NDSU has about 14,000 students and it is the largest university in North Dakota based on full time students and land size...
, Fargo. It is no longer being used for research, although it currently provides approximately 500,000 seedlings per year for wind protection of crops and communities throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
The forest is now in the process of being de-commissioned and returned to the administrative control of the Custer National Forest
Custer National Forest
Custer National Forest is located primarily in the southern part of the U.S. state of Montana but also has separate sections in northwestern South Dakota. With a total area of 1,278,279 acres , the forest comprises over 10 separate sections...
.