Jim Brandle

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Additional Information: Contact | Academic | Other

Hi, I’m Jim Brandle, and I’m a professor of forestry in the School of Natural Resources.

My main research emphasis is the role of woody plants in agricultural systems, particularly windbreaks and their effects on all aspects of crop production. One part has to do with how windbreaks and shelterbelts work. The other major components focus on the economic value of various forms of shelter and the role that windbreaks play in maintaining biodiversity on our farms and ranches.

Key projects involve research into the physics, or the mechanisms, of woody plant shelter and an increasing emphasis on the economic benefits of shelter, especially crop response. These studies are being pursued in cooperation with colleagues at Iowa State University and the U.S. Forest Service.

Working with the cooperators above, we will soon be releasing the second version of a crop windbreak-economics model. This sophisticated computer model is based on intensive studies of windbreak airflow dynamics and will quantify precise effects on crop yields and money saved. It can evaluate any shelter for the economic benefits to corn or soybean production in the north-central United States.

Another recent venture involves investigating the effects of windbreaks on carbon sequestration, or storage. Storing carbon helps mitigate global warming. My colleagues and I are looking not only into how much carbon field windbreaks store, but also how much fossil fuel is saved because that area is taken out of production, and not plowed and cultivated. In addition, other types of windbreaks provide savings from reduced home heating and cooling costs and from reduced snow removal costs.

 

 

 

 

Key Research Publications

• Brandle, J.R., L. Hodges, X, Zhou (2004) Windbreaks in North American agricultural systems. Agroforestry Systems 61:65-78.
• Hodges, L., M.N. Suratman, J.R. Brandle, and K.G. Hubbard (2004) Growth and yield of snap beans as affected by wind protection and microclimate changes due to shelterbelts and planting dates. HortScience 39:996-1004.
• Zhou, X.H., J.R. Brandle, C.W. Mize, and E.S. Mize (2004) Three-dimensional aerodynamic structure of a tree shelterbelt: Definition, characterization and working models. Agroforestry Systems (In press).
• Josiah, S.J., R. St-Pierre, H. Brott, and J.R. Brandle (2004) Productive conservation: Diversifying farm enterprises by producing specialty woody products in agroforestry systems. Journal Sustainable Agriculture 23:93-108.
• Brandle, J., X.H. Zhou, and L. Hodges, (2003) Agroforestry for enhancing water use efficiency. Encyclopedia of Water Science 19-21.
• Takle, E.S., J.R. Brandle, R.A. Schmidt, and R. Garcia, I.V. Litvina, W.J. Massman, X.H. Zhou, G. Doyle, C.W Rice (2003) High-frequency pressure variation in the vicinity of a surface CO2 flux chamber. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 114:245-250.
• Hou, Q.J., J.R. Brandle, M.M. Schoenberger (2003) Root-prunning alters soil moisture at the windbreak/crop interface. Agroforestry Systems 57:137-147.
• Beecher, N.A., R.J. Johnson, J.R. Brandle, R.M. Case, and L.J. Young,. 2002. Agroecology of birds in organic and non-organic farmland. Conservation Biology 16:1620-1631.
• Zhou, X.H., J.R. Brandle, E.S. Takle, C.W. Mize. 2002. Estimation of the 3-dimensional aerodynamic structure of a green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.) shelterbelt. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 111:93-108.
• Easterling, W.E., J.R. Brandle, Q. Guo, C.J Hays, and D.S. Guertin. 2001. Simulating the impact of human land use change on forest composition in Great Plains agroecosystems with the Seedscape model. Ecological Modeling 140 (1-2):163-176.
• Danielson, S.D., J.R. Brandle, L. Hodges, and P. Srinivas. 2000. Bean leaf beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) abundance in soybean fields protected and unprotected by shelterbelts. J. Entomol. Sci. 35:385-390.
• Brandle, J.R., L. Hodges, and B. Wight. 2000. Windbreak Practices, Chapter 4 in North American Agroforestry: An Integrated Science. (H.E. Garrett., W.J. Rietveld, and R.F. Fisher, eds), Am. Soc. Agronomy, 79-118.

Key Extension-related Publications

• Brandle, J., X. Zhou, and L. Hodges. 2002. How windbreaks work,. EC-02-1763
• Brandle, J. and L. Hodges. 2000. Field windbreaks. EC-00-1778.
• Stange, C., J. Wilson, J. Brandle, and M. Kuhns. 1998. Windbreak renovation. EC-98-1777.
• Brandle, J.R. and H.D. Nickerson. 1996. Windbreaks for snow management. EC-96-1770.
• Stange, C. and J.R. Brandle. 1996. Windbreak management. EC-96-1768.
• Quam, V.C., L. Johnson, B. Wight, and J.R. Brandle. 1994. Windbreaks for livestock operations. EC-91-1766.
• Wight, B., T.K. Boes, and J.R. Brandle. 1993. Windbreaks for rural living. EC-91-1767.
• Johnson, R.J., M.M. Beck and J.R. Brandle. 1992. Windbreaks and wildlife. EC-91-1771.
• Quam, V.C., J. Gardner, J.R. Brandle and T.K. Boes. 1992. Windbreaks in sustainable agricultural systems. EC-91-1772.
• Boehner, P., J.R. Brandle and S. Finch. 1991. Windbreak establishment. EC-91-1764.

See More Publications

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Contact Information Title Professor Shelterbelt Ecologist   Address 407 Hardin Hall Lincoln NE 68583-0974  Phone 402-472-6626  Fax 402-472-2946  Email jbrandle1@unl.edu

Educational Background BS University of Tennessee, 1966 - Botany MS University of Missouri, 1970 - Forestry PhD University of Missouri, 1974 - Forestry

Academic Information
Potential Advising for Undergraduate Majors	Bachelor of Science in Environmental Restoration Science Fisheries & Wildlife Pre-Forestry
Potential Advising for Graduate Program	Master of Science with a Specialization in Agroforestry Human Dimensions Doctor of Philosophy with a Specialization in Applied Ecology Human Dimensions

Courses Taught in the Current Semester
Course Number	Course Title	Day	Time	Cross Listings
NRES 103	Intro Ag and Nat Res Sys	TR	0800-0915 A	AGRI 103
NRES 103	Intro Ag and Nat Res Sys	W	0200-0250 P	AGRI 103
NRES 103	Intro Ag and Nat Res Sys	MWF	1000-1050 A	AGRI 103
NRES 497	Career Experiences in Nat. Res. Sci.	ARR	ARR	None
NRES 498	Special Topics - Outreach to the Elementary School Classroom	ARR	ARR	NRES 896
NRES 898	Special Topics - Outreach to the Elementary School Classroom	ARR	ARR	NRES 496
NRES 899	Masters Thesis	ARR	ARR	None
NRES 999	Doctoral Dissertation	ARR	ARR	None
NRES 999	Doctoral Dissertation	ARR	ARR	None

Additional Information
SNR Faculties	Applied Ecology, Applied Climate Science
Areas of Interest	Agroforestry, Shelterbelts, Ecology, Crop Response to Shelter, Microclimate in woody plant shelter, Shelterbelt Structure and Function, Agroecology, Biological Control, Biological diversity, Forest and grassland ecology, Forestry, Organic agriculture, Sustainable agriculture and societies, Trees, Windbreaks, Bio-atmospheric interactions

 

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