A Living Partnership: Advancing Community Shelterbelts with Project Forest and Siksika Nation

On Treaty 7 territory, under wide prairie skies warmed by the sun, a meaningful act of land stewardship is nurturing growth in Alberta at Siksika Nation. The next phase of a multi-year shelterbelt program is underway, where trees, shrubs, and culturally significant plants – including species like silver buffaloberry, Saskatoon, and raspberry as well as traditional medicinal species– are joining the soil and local ecosystem, restoring balance, supporting traditional land use, and strengthening the relationship between people and place.

Led by Project Forest in partnership with Siksika Nation, the initiative brings urgently needed wind protection and long-term community benefits. Nutrien is proud to support this work through both financial investment and hands-on involvement. In September, Leadership from the Carseland Nitrogen site joined employee volunteers from Calgary to contribute their time, energy, and care for the land. Twenty volunteers planted hundreds of trees – a small but meaningful contribution to the more than 136,000 trees already planted at Siksika Nation through this project. To date, Nutrien has planted over 54,000 trees in partnership with Project Forest, including 28,250 at Siksika Nation and 26,100 at the Nutrien Forest in Fort Saskatchewan. 

“At Nutrien, we’re in the business of global agriculture – and whether it’s the journey of food to table or knowing our team has contributed over 28,000 trees to this project, every action reflects our commitment to feeding the future and strengthening communities,” says Katrina Hauck Miller, General Manager of the Carseland Nitrogen site. “As part of Treaty 7 territory, our team is proud to volunteer and nourish a legacy that is connected, respectful, and grounded in a shared path toward economic reconciliation – one that benefits generations to come.”

Pictured: Katrina Hauck Miller, GM, Carseland Nitrogen Site, plants trees on Siksika Nation

It takes time for shelterbelts to reach maturity, but their design through Project Forest is intentional – supporting long-term environmental and community benefits. Nutrien is honoured to be invited back throughout the phases of this project and to witness the growing impact of this community investment over time.

About the Project

For more than 100 years, the federal government gave trees to farmers across the prairies to plant shelterbelts, protecting them from the harsh elements and improving the growing conditions for their crops. Siksika Nation, and many other First Nations, were not offered access to these trees and the many benefits they provide.

Project Forest is planting shelterbelts around the homes, communities and agricultural fields on Siksika Nation, the second largest reserve in Canada. Shelterbelts, up to five rows wide with food-bearing and medicinal plants interspersed, will benefit the members of Siksika Nation by creating privacy from the road, mitigating extreme weather, reducing wind speeds, and trapping moisture. The shelterbelts, a nature-based solution designed to reduce the effects of climate change, will also provide increased opportunities for Nation members to participate in traditional land-use activities, like medicine- and berry-picking.

Source: Project Forest