HELP International is going into its third year of their shelterbelt program, with some 600,000 seedlings of shelterbelt varieties ready for planting in the spring of 2016.
HELP took over the government’s shelterbelt tree program two years ago, as they ran the former PFRA tree farm at Indian Head, providing trees for landowners across the prairies in 2014 and 2015.
The organization bought a new 160-acre parcel west of Weyburn, and they have been working to develop the land by constructing plots, roadways and a water reservoir.
All of the trees that HELP is producing are now container roots, which is a change from the bare root system used at the Indian Head tree farm. The seedlings, measuring 12 to 30 inches, have a solid plug of soil on the root.
According to executive director Rodney Sidloski, this innovation allows the seedlings to be shipped and planted while dormant or in full leaf, unlike with seedlings with bare roots, and and there has been little to no transplant setback.
“HELP has kept our promise that the tree cost of $1.50 per regular seedling for shelterbelt quantities of 300 or more trees will not see any increase now or in the future.” He also pointed out that any order of 50 trees or more is considered a shelterbelt or environmental program.
If a town or cluster of neighbours combine to plant 4,000 meters or more of tree lines, they can apply for HELP assisted planting where HELP brings personnel, trees, machinery and materials to plant trees, lay plastic mulch and install grass for low maintenance tree planting.
