“There is magic happening on Siksika Nation!” says Dale Spring Chief, Special Land Projects Coordinator with the Siksika Nation Land Management, as she watches new trees and shrubs being planted during phase one of our multi-year shelterbelt program.
The Project Forest Siksika Nation Community Shelterbelt Program is a collaboration between Project Forest and Siksika Nation, aimed at bringing urgently needed trees to the community over five years. The program seeks to address the lack of natural infrastructure in both residential and agricultural areas, where community members are increasingly feeling the effects of climate change.
For over 100 years, the federal government provided farmers across the prairies with trees for shelterbelts, protecting them from harsh elements and improving crop conditions. However, Siksika Nation and many other First Nations were not given access to these trees or the numerous benefits they offered.
Today, Siksika Nation is experiencing the impact of climate change firsthand. Living in a valley with little to no natural protection from extreme weather, the community is increasingly vulnerable. Eldon Weasel Child, a Siksika Nation Knowledge Keeper, told CBC News,
“It never used to get this windy. A few years ago, we had a windstorm that took the roof tops off of some houses.”
The growing intensity of extreme weather will only worsen, disproportionately affecting Siksika Nation residents.
In May 2024, Project Forest planted 130,760 trees and shrubs, creating 27.8 km (92.9 km total individual rows) of new shelterbelts in both community and agricultural areas. Over the next four years, an additional 800,000 seedlings will be planted on the Nation.
Planting one million trees over five years is an ambitious project, but one we believe will significantly benefit the people of Siksika Nation by mitigating the effects of climate change, enhancing privacy from nearby roads, and improving access to traditional plants and medicines.
