The American West (c1835-c1895): Timber Culture Act 1873

It became clear that 160 acres of land was not sufficient to support a family on the Great Plains. The government therefore passed the Timber Culture Act of 1873, which gave homesteaders an additional 160 acres of free land if they agreed to plant trees on 40 acres of this.

Trees were important as they were needed to supply wood for fuel and building material, and also acted as windbreaks.

The act was met with limited success, and was repealed in 1891. In much of the Great Plains it was simply not possible to grow trees, as there was not enough water. Loopholes in the act were also exploited as people claimed land to simply sell it on for profit.