Using shelterbelts to mitigate environmental impacts and improve safety on Siksika Nation

One of the first things Project Forest’s Mike Toffan draws everyone’s attention to is the noise from the highway. Standing on the grounds of Siksika Nation’s SiksikaPiiksapi Memorial Arbour, it’s hard to hear Mike speak as trucks barrel past.

Mike is telling our crew of Nutrien volunteers about how noise suppression is one of many ways the trees we will be planting will support the wellbeing and safety of community members, in addition to the positive environmental impacts of tree-planting.

Around Siksika Nation, the second largest reserve in Canada, a number of houses are close enough to the highway that you can see into them when the curtains are open. Given how loud it is standing in the field near the road to receive our instructions, one can only imagine the noise inside the houses.

Other houses are located down remote roads that can quickly cover with several feet of snow in the winter months, making them impassable for emergency vehicles.

“As a Stoney Nakota, and a living descendant of Treaty 6, I see a cultural shift happening, where Canadian companies, like Nutrien, are stepping forward as good neighbors to build genuine relationships with Indigenous Peoples,” saysJosh Alexis, Indigenous & Rewilding Specialist, Project Forest. “By coming to Siksika Nation to plant trees in support of the Siksika Nation Community Shelterbelt, we are moving beyond stereotypes and bridging gaps that have historically divided us by building person-to-person relationships. It’s a powerful gesture when our partners not only give their resources but also their time, which is the most precious gift anyone can offer.In the spirit of being good neighbors, continue to visit Indigenous communities and learn the protocols that are shared with you, be respectful and responsible with the gifts given to you, and continue to come back to Siksika to watch the trees, people, and community grow. Ish Nish (Thank you in Stoney Nakota).”

The Project Forest Siksika Nation Community Shelterbelt Program is designed to harness the power of shelterbelts, a proven nature-based solution, to mitigate the impacts of climate change, sequester carbon, and take meaningful steps towards equitably distributing trees, and their associated ecosystem services, to the people living on Siksika Nation.

Shelterbelts will provide Siksika Nation with long-term environmental resilience to the effects of climate change, including mitigating extreme wind, trapping moisture, regulating temperatures, reducing the loss of topsoil, cleaning the air and water, creating habitat for wildlife, decreasing noise and increasing privacy from passing highway traffic, and providing spaces for traditional land-use activities.

Our Nutrien team planted over 400 trees in about 1.5 hours with 23 volunteers - adding to the 136,000 that have been planted at Siksika already. In total, (so far and still counting) Nutrien has planted 54,350 trees with Project Forest. 26,100 at Fort Saskatchewan's Nutrien Forest and 28,250 towards the Siksika Nation Community Shelterbelt Program.

"This was an incredible experience," explains Jody Perley, Director, Phosphate Finance. "I have driven by Siksika Nation so many times without giving it much thought. Being on the land and hearing from an Elder in the community gave me a clearer line of sight to the kind of meaningful actions that are in service of Reconciliation. Hearing from Project Forest, we learned that we aren't just planting trees, we're impacting the wellbeing of the people who live in this community for generations to come. This eye-opening experience, sharing a delicious meal and then planting some trees was an amazing way to spend an afternoon!"

Nutrien supports community initiatives that are aligned with our four focus areas to maximize the impact we can make. We’re proud to work with organizations like Project Forest, that are working together with communities to make meaningful, lasting impact for community members.