6. The Indian Head Shelterbelt Centre
PRAIRIE FARM REHABILITATION ADMINISTRATION (PFRA) SHELTERBELT CENTRE

Shelterbelt Centre, Indian Head.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 91-08-079

Purpose

In 1901 the government of Canada established the Forest Nursery Station at Indian Head, in what is now Saskatchewan

Its purpose was to researching, cultivate, and supply hardy trees and shrubs suited to the prairies to prairie farmers. The first decades of prairies agriculture had taught all concerned that species and methods that worked in Ontario were not necessarily transferrable to the western climate and soils.  Along with trees they were able to provided advice as to where to plant the trees and how to care for them.
Group plantings, known as shelterbelts, were designed to protect the settlers, their land and their livestock from the strong winds, as well as to provide relief during the cold winters and shade during the hot summers. Seed from trees found in cold countries was collected and grown to assess survival under prairie conditions.
Orders for trees and shrubs grew at a rapid rate and the resulting plantings have done much to reduce soil erosion, trap snow for additional moisture, help increase farm water supply, and provide shelter for wild life. Both centres have also tested a range of fruit trees.
Education

Public information activities were undertaken to publicize both the Centre and sustainable agriculture. In 1920, the CPR donated to the Forestry Associations of Western Canada a railway coach, which traveled to stations with displays promoting the benefits of tree planting, forestry, and shelterbelts.

The PFRA

In the 1930s the PFRA (PRAIRIE FARM REHABILITATION ADMINISTRATION), was established and teamed with the Nursery worked to plant over 2,000 km of shelterbelts across the prairies, including the well-known ones at Lyleton Mb.  One purpose was to demonstrate their use for soil conservation. The shelterbelt program became part of the PFRA in 1963. The Indian Head facility continued to grow and develop.
Between 1901 and 2001, more than 570 million evergreen and deciduous tree and shrub seedlings were distributed by the Indian Head Nursery as a service to prairie farmers as well as to federal, provincial, municipal and other agencies. At its height it produced twenty-nine hardy tree and shrub species distributing approximately five million seedlings free of charge, to prairie farmers and rural landowners.


Indian Head Shelterbelt Centre

From the Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan
http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/prairie_farm_rehabilitation_administration_pfra
_shelterbelt_centre.html
FADMINISTRATION (PFRA) SHELTERBELT CENTRE

When the early settlers arrived in the North-West Territories, they found a treeless region with an extreme climate that would not support many of the plants that they had brought with them. In 1901, under the Department of the Interior the government of Canada established at Indian Head, in what is now Saskatchewan, the Forest Nursery Station, dedicated to researching, cultivating, and supplying hardy trees and shrubs to prairie farmers. Advice was provided as to where to plant the trees and how to care for them. The group plantings, known as shelterbelts, were planned to protect the settlers, their land and their livestock from the strong winds, as well as to provide relief during the cold winters and shade during the hot summers. Initially, broadleaf species such as American elm, caragana, green ash, Manitoba maple, poplar and willow were grown, as were evergreen varieties of larch, pine and spruce. The Colorado spruce, recognizable in most prairie farm shelterbelts, was not introduced until 1937. Seed from trees found in cold countries was collected and grown to assess survival under prairie conditions.

Orders for trees and shrubs grew at a rapid rate, and a second nursery was established in 1913 at Sutherland, near Saskatoon. Over the years, both stations tested and distributed many tree and shrub species; these plantings have done much to reduce soil erosion, trap snow for additional moisture, help increase farm water supply, and provide shelter for wild life. Both centres have also tested a range of fruit trees. Public information activities, such as fair displays, newspaper advertisements, pamphlets, and presentations to farm groups increased the profile of the nursery. In 1920, the CPR donated to the Forestry Associations of Western Canada a railway coach which traveled to stations with displays promoting the benefits of tree planting, forestry, and shelterbelts.

During the severe droughts of the 1930s the nurseries, in conjunction with the newly formed PFRA (PRAIRIE FARM REHABILITATION ADMINISTRATION), worked to plant over 2,000 km of shelterbelts and demonstrated their use for soil conservation across the prairies. In 1963, the shelterbelt program became part of the PFRA. Two years later, with improvements to the Indian Head facility that included a new water reservoir as well as irrigation and cold storage facilities for trees and shrubs, the Sutherland nursery was shut down.

The Indian Head nursery has grown from its original quarter-section (64 ha) to a full section (256 ha). Between 1901 and 2001, more than 570 million evergreen and deciduous tree and shrub seedlings were distributed by the Indian Head Nursery as a service to prairie farmers as well as to federal, provincial, municipal and other agencies.

Today the Nursery produces twenty-nine hardy tree and shrub species, and its sophisticated facilities allow stable and healthy seedling production for clients. The Centre has three distinct business units focused on research, technology development, and tree production and distribution. Conservation and ecological issues such as reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, soil and water conservation, and enhanced wildlife habitat combine with economic and social returns for rural residents. Each year, approximately five million seedlings are distributed, free of charge, to prairie farmers and rural landowners. The Indian Head Nursery is now known as the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada PFRA Shelterbelt Centre.
Merle Massie, Allan E. Smith

http://www.agr.gc.ca/eng/about-us/offices-and-locations/agroforestry-
development-centre/?id=1186517615847
http://www.producer.com/2012/04/govt-axes-shelterbelt-program%E2%80%A9/

From: Saskatchewan’s Environmental Champions Website
http://econet.ca/sk_enviro_champions/indian_head.html

From the beginning of farm settlement in Saskatchewan, there has been a demand for trees to shelter farmsteads and help settlers adjust to life on the open prairie. Later, field shelterbelts were promoted to prevent wind erosion and trap blowing snow away from roads. More recently, trees and shrubs have also been planted for wildlife habitat, biodiversity, and agroforestry initiatives.

The PFRA Shelterbelt Centre was established at Indian Head, Saskatchewan in 1901 to supply prairie hardy tree and shrub seedlings to meet these needs. By 2004, over 590,000,000 seedlings have been distributed to 645,615 applicants throughout the Prairies. If all those seedlings were planted at 1-metre spacings, they would circle the world 15 times!

If all those seedlings (590,000,000 from 1902-2004) were planted at 1-metre spacings, they would circle the world 15 times!

Selection and limited distribution of hardy trees first began in the late 1800s at the Agriculture Experimental Station in Indian Head. To meet growing demand, the Department of Interior established the Forest Nursery Station, which shipped 106,000 trees to 92 settlers in its first year (1902). The program became more popular every year and by 1906, 2 million trees were being shipped. A second nursery was established in 1913 at Sutherland, Saskatoon.

After installation of irrigation facilities at Indian Head in 1965, the Sutherland operation was discontinued and the productive capacity of the Indian Head nursery increased to 7 million trees annually. Today the Shelterbelt Centre is 640 acres (256 ha) in size, produces 29 hardy tree and shrub species, and distributes over 5 million trees and shrubs to as many as 10,000 prairie clients annually. In 2004, 288 miles (464 km) of field shelterbelts and about 1,000 miles (1,611 km) of farmstead shelterbelts were planted in Saskatchewan alone.

During the severe drought of the 1930s, Shelterbelt Centre staff worked with the newly formed PFRA to plant field shelterbelts and demonstrate their use for soil conservation. Major plantings were established at this time near Lyleton, Manitoba; Porter Lake, Alberta; and Aneroid and Conquest, Saskatchewan. Over 2,000 km of shelterbelts were planted, many of them still present today. In 1963, the Shelterbelt Centre at Indian Head Saskatchewan became part of PFRA.

Public promotion was an instrumental part of the nursery activities. In early years, displays in fairs, talks to farm groups and horticultural societies, and publications, bulletins and pamphlets were used. From 1920 -1973 a donated railway car operated by the prairies provinces Forestry Association traveled free on both CPR and CN lines. The 'tree train,' as school kids knew it, promoted both forestry and shelterbelts.

The benefits of shelterbelts are numerous. Shelterbelts reduce wind speed and thereby create a microclimate for yards, gardens, and crops. The wind is deflected up and over the shelterbelt, creating a well-protected zone in the lee of the belt. The zone of protection extends outward many times the height of the trees. Reducing wind speed can have a dramatic energy saving benefit. On average, a mature 5-row shelterbelt, with at least 2 rows of conifers, planted around a farmhouse will reduce its heat requirements by 25%. The trapped snow provides water for dugouts and soil reserves.

The snow trapping and wind reduction effect of field shelterbelts reduces wind erosion and can increase yields in dry years. Other benefits include habitat and travel corridors for wildlife and birds and offsetting carbon dioxide emissions. A recent independent study estimated the public good from shelterbelt trees provided through the Prairie Shelterbelt Program from 1981-2001 to be as much as $600 million and the value of private good to be as much as $340 million.

It is estimated that the some 4,747,000 trees and shrubs planted in shelterbelts in 2004 alone will sequester 1,790,000 tonnes of CO2 by 2054. To encourage plantings for this and other conservation goals a new program will supply equipment for laying down a 3-foot wide strip of plastic 'mulch' along field belts. This eliminates the need for cultivation and chemicals for weed control.

Wherever people build dwellings, one the first things they turn to is planting trees for shade, shelter and beauty. The longevity of the PFRA Shelterbelt Centre is a testament to these and the many other benefits of trees.

For more information visit http://www.agr.gc.ca/pfra/shelterbelt.htm