Acreage owners with large tree stands or looking to have large tree stands should keep in mind a couple of key dates in March.The Prairie Shelterbelt Program, which helps people with more than five acres of land access free trees from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, has a deadline in mid-March.For people who have woodlots or are considering starting one, Red Deer County is hosting a trees workshop on March 7 at the Benalto Hall from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.ìIt's open to anyone who's interested,î said Ken Lewis, conservation coordinator with Red Deer County.The trees workshop will include information about carbon offsets, using the woodlot to make money from your property, and tree pests and diseases.ìAnother one will be on Firesmart,î Lewis said, noting this was to help tree owners minimize the risk of a home burning down in the event of a forest fire.The carbon offsets talks will be about both tree growing protocol and the potential for forages to be used as carbon offset credits as well.Lewis said the value-added chat will be ìspecifically looking at sawmillingî but also discussion about harvesting alternative ìforest cropsî like mushrooms.Though tree disease and pests may not often be ìtoo big of a dealî in smaller woodlots, Lewis said, they'll be providing information for tree growers.ìPeople still want to know what they have,î Lewis said.To access money-making opportunities, people need to have a fairly large wooded area.ì(They) probably would be needing to have a few acres at least,î Lewis said. ìThere's still a fairly big chunk of land that's still forest in our county.îThe talks will be of interest to potential tree growers as well.ìIf you don't have trees but want trees, there's going to be at least a couple of topics of interest to you,î Lewis said.The presentations will be made by Red Deer County staff, people from a woodlot extension group and Alberta Agriculture staff. Attendees don't have to worry about choosing between topics.ìYou'll be able to hear every talk,î Lewis said. He said there will be lots of time for question-and-answer sessions and opportunities for one-on-one discussions with the presenters.The $10 fee for the evening includes a light supper. Lewis said people can register by calling him at 403-342-8653.ìIf they could register in advance that'd be fantastic,î he said.Those who might not be looking for full woodlots but want trees to build shelterbelts for wind control, snow control, wildlife habitats or for other purposes should consider applying to the Prairie Shelterbelt Program for free trees.The deadline is March 15 and the program is open to rural landowners who own more than five acres of land in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba or the Peace River region of B.C.A variety of species are available for private landowners to choose from. The seedlings are provided for free, but recipients are responsible for shipping costs.Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has more information on the programs and the application form available on its website, www.agr.gc.ca.
