Shaking federal trees for shelterbelt protection

Times Contributor     

 

Winds of protest are blowing across the Western provinces, over the shutdown of the Prairie Farm Shelterbelt program. 

Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, supported by the Conservative government, voted to discontinue the program as of Dec. 31, 2013.

“It does affect our rural ratepayers. It was pretty disappointing that the Minister cut back this program. We have sent a letter to the Minister asking him to make sure it remains viable in someone’s hands,” said Bob Barss, president of the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties.

The shelterbelt program has been in place for the last 100 years. It has helped farmers rebuild shelterbelts, windbreaks, conserve soil and improve yards by supplying free seedlings. Over seven million seedlings are sent out for planting each year.

Norm Hall, president of the Association of Saskatchewan Agricultural Producers, said flooding in Manitoba has wiped out many tree stands. His discussions with farmers and agricultural organizations across the west indicate farmers do need these trees. 

Pine beetle infestations are destroying forest tracts and they are moving east. Dutch Elm disease is still destroying mature elm trees. Environment Canada recorded the highest average forest fires numbers in 2012, compared to numbers from the last 25 years. Climate change is creating drought conditions, affecting crops in areas not formerly affected. 

The Agriculture Adaptation Project done by the Saskatchewan Research Council indicates Canadian drought conditions in the future will exceed the worst droughts of the past. Many sources state natural resource and housing developments are fragmenting small animal habitat contributing to species extinctions.

The Alberta Provincial Agriculture website states soil erosion is still occurring. Eroded soil damages downwind crops, buildings, causes accidents and causes costly cleanup and repair. Good shelterbelts provide windbreaks, decrease erosion, increase moisture content, increase crop yield, provide wildlife habitat, reduce snow removal costs, beautify the landscape and produce financial returns in forestry and tourism.

Several interested parties have stepped forward to present alternatives to the government. A farm initiative, from the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities, has put forward a bid to take over the program. Also, a coalition of the Wild Rose Agricultural Producers, Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan, the Keystone Agricultural Producers of Manitoba, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, the Rural Municipality and Town of Indian Head, the British Columbia Grain Producers Association and the Peace River Regional District have asked the Minister to keep the program running, so it is transferable in 2014. 

Hall said there seems to conflict information coming from government compared to the action taking place at the Indian Head site. 

“What he was telling us, and what he told Ralph Goodale on the floor of the house, was that the tree nursery was going to run as a full entity for the rest of the year. There was going to be a harvest, seedlings planted, irrigation water run, and applications sent out for next year. But that is not what we are hearing from the staff. We are hearing it is closing down,” said Hall.

There are twenty four staff at the Indian Head nursery that have been given letters of notice, regarding the program shutdown. No new seedlings have been planted, no new orders for 2014 are being taken and the last of this year’s stock is to be delivered this month. The federal government plans to repurpose the Indian Head site. They will sell or lease the land to an independent third party. 

There are other private companies, such as Smokey Lake Nursery, that currently produce and sell seedlings. Over 10 million, one-year-old container seedlings, are grown annually at Smokey Lake and over 200 acres of bareroot fields produce another 10 million two-year-old transplant seedlings. They would have to double their production to supply what is lost by the shutdown Indian Head facility.

Scott Formaniuk of Tree Time Services Inc. said one mile of fence line planted with hybrid poplar species spaced at 2.5 meters apart, would take about 640 seedlings. At a cost of about $1.89/seedling, for a one-year-old tree, the total cost would be about $1,200. Large orders over 1,000 are offered a 10 per cent discount. Barss said the Wainwright area farmers planted 42,000 seedlings last year, which in the future will cost approximately $72,563.

Hall said that the coalition is hoping they will have time to beat government red tape and bureaucratic channels to come up with a feasible business plan. They are interested in forming a cooperative, or not-for-profit organization, to operate the Indian Head Nursery and the shelterbelt program in the future. 

They have also contacted municipalities across western Canada to request they write a letter to the Minister to support the program and the coalition’s objectives. They are hoping municipalities will contribute $100 each towards the development of business plan. Wheatland Council received the request May 16, and Council took the information for consideration.

Anyone wishing to support the initiative can contact their local councillors; write the Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 341 Baseline Road, Ottawa, Ontario K1A0C5, or Norm Hall APAS, 140 4th Avenue East, Regina Saskatchewan, S4N4Z4. Email: info@apas.ca , or Dale Harvey, SARM, 200 2221 Cornwall Street, Regina, Saskatchewan S4P2L1 Email: sarm@sarm.ca.