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Improving Shelterbelt Establishment Success

The Shelterbelt Enhancement Program

More than 30 years ago, Lorne Rossnagel of Plumas, Manitoba, planted his first shelterbelt. Thirty years later he's still planting trees on the farm, but now he doesn't have to pull so many weeds to get the seedlings started.

Rossnagel long ago recognized that shelterbelts offer protection for his cattle -- thereby extending his grazing season -- and at the same time create and enhance wildlife habitat. But planting shelterbelts can be labour-intensive work, and during the first few years of establishing his shelterbelts, Rossnagel was forced to cultivate around his trees for six to eight hours a month.

Last year, however, he decided to try a different approach. He applied for assistance under Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's (AAFC) Shelterbelt Enhancement Program (SEP). Now in its final year, the SEP provides plastic mulch and the free loan of specialized mulch-application equipment to eligible landowners in Western Canada.

Rossnagel, for one, is now an advocate of the plastic mulch method. He says the weeds are under control and the trees are thriving in his new 1,800-tree shelterbelt. In fact, he hasn't had to spend any time cultivating or worrying this year because the plastic mulch he received through the SEP has retained soil moisture and all but eliminated weed growth.

"There's no way I would plant a tree again unless I had the mulch," said Rossnagel. "The new trees are doing absolutely fantastic.”

It is estimated that the SEP will contribute to the establishment of approximately 8,000 additional kilometres of riparian buffer strips along waterways, as well as wildlife, field and farmyard shelterbelts. And that's good news.

Shelterbelts serve many purposes on the Prairies: they increase crop yields, preserve soil and moisture, and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. But they can also require a lot of maintenance.

Shelterbelts have to be kept relatively weed-free in their first five years, as weeds can compete aggressively with young trees and shrubs for needed soil moisture and nutrients. The commitment and investment required to cultivate and/or apply herbicides to a large shelterbelt can deter even the most enthusiastic agroforestry supporter. And that's what makes the SEP so appealing.

With more than 4,500 trees under plastic mulch, Bill Jordan of Cold Lake, Alberta, also has some experience with the SEP. In 1999, Jordan decided plastic mulch was the best option for weed control in his shelterbelts. Other kinds of mulch, he felt, were far too labour-intensive to apply.

Although Jordan found plastic mulch really helped keep the weeds under control, the major benefit he discovered was its capacity for moisture conservation.

"The mulch kept the trees alive during the drought years. They wouldn't have survived otherwise," said Jordan, whose favourable experience with the SEP prompted him to incorporate plastic mulch in his next shelterbelt planting.

Landowners interested in receiving seedlings and plastic mulch in May of 2006 must apply to the AAFC-PFRA Shelterbelt Centre for SEP assistance on or before Sept. 30, 2005. To be eligible for the SEP, applicants must apply for, and receive, seedlings for a minimum of 800 metres of new shelterbelt (400 metres of shelterbelt will be considered if you are adding onto an existing shelterbelt), or one hectare of wildlife tree planting, through AAFC's Prairie Shelterbelt Program.

For additional information, please contact the AAFCBPFRA Shelterbelt Centre at (306) 695-2284, or pfratree"agr.gc.ca, or contact your local AAFC-PFRA office. Further information can also be found on the AAFCBPFRA Shelterbelt Centre web site