Black walnut and Scotch pine seedlings were planted alternately on a cultivated site and weeds were controlled with one of two thicknesses of a polypropylene fabric weed barrier or herbicide. In the third year, walnut trees were about 60% taller and had 15% greater survival when grown with the woven plastic fabrics. Pine showed no difference in height between treatments, but survival was about 25% less with herbicides. Both barriers seem to be practical for use in tree establishment under environmental conditions of the Great Plains.