It has been a decade since the shelterbelt centre at Indian head Saskatchewan closed its doors and subsidies for planting trees have been readily available to rural residents in our watershed. For the last ten years landowners paid full price for trees and weed barrier and the district charged a small fee for planting.
We are excited to announce this fall that Assiniboine West Watershed District (AWWD) will once again fund the planting of shelterbelts covering 75 per cent of the total project's costs including trees, weed barrier, and installation costs.
From reduced costs of heating and cooling buildings (as much as 25% annually), to improved snow management (to help fill dugouts), and reduce road maintenance costs, trees provide benefits in many unseen ways.
Field shelterbelts protect growing crops and animals from harsh weather, increasing yields and animal performance. Trees add to landscape biodiversity, providing habitat for pollinators and reducing the need for pesticides which also results in increased profits. Trees also and suck up carbon dioxide from the air and store it in the soil as well as help clean the air and water of impurities which are some of the goals of this current program.
If we stop and think about all the benefits that shelterbelts provide across the prairies, that decision to close the nursery seemed so counter productive. The shelterbelt centre used to grow 3-5 million seedlings for distribution across the prairie provinces. Today we source the majority of our trees from similar facilities located in North Dakota.
In partnership with ALUS Canada and the Federal Government we will fund planting projects to the 75 per cent level and even provide annual payments for ongoing management and maintenance of tree rows.
Unlike the previous program where trees were simply distributed free of charge, we will offer a program where landowners will pay up front and then be reimbursed for trees, weed barrier and planting services up 75 per cent of the total project cost. We have tried to structure this program such that landowners who undertake site prep, and assist with supplying a tractor and driver at time of planting, as well as the installation of weed barrier, will have no out of pocket expenses.
We look forward to talking with landowners in the coming months about design, location and species selection for new shelterbelt plantings in the spring.
ABOUT ALUS:
Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) is a charitable organization with a mission to help farmers and ranchers build nature-based solutions on their land to sustain agriculture and biodiversity for the benefit of communities and future generations.
-Ryan Canart, manager of AWWD
