| | Did you know that shelterbelts (trees and shrubs) planted around your livestock farm provide lots of benefits, including financial benefits? This publication series, Shelterbelts for Livestock Farms in Alberta, provides practical information about livestock farm shelterbelts in factsheets and a workbook. This overview describes what livestock farm shelterbelts can do for you and answers some common questions about such shelterbelts.
A shelterbelt is a planned arrangement of trees and shrubs planted in rows. Shelterbelts vary based on the benefits they are intended to provide. For example, field shelterbelts are planted along the edges of crop fields to prevent soil erosion by wind, protect crops from wind damage, and trap snow to increase soil moisture. Farmstead shelterbelts are planted around farmsteads to protect buildings, people and animals from the cold effects of winter winds, conserve energy use on the farm, provide shade for animals in summer, improve feed conversion efficiency, control snowdrifts, etc. Farmstead shelterbelts can also be planted around livestock farms to help manage the impact of farm odour and other air emissions (e.g., dust) on people living or working in neighbouring areas.
A shelterbelt may have one or more rows of trees, shrubs, or trees and shrubs. If a shelterbelt is going to be used to manage odour and other air emissions off the farm, then a minimum of three, four, five or six rows of trees and shrubs is recommended, depending on the municipal zoning for neighbouring residences or other properties frequented by the public in the area around the farm. For example, if a neighbouring acreage is in an area zoned for agricultural purposes, then a shelterbelt with at least three rows is recommended. Alternatively, if the residences and other properties frequented by the public are in a town neighbouring the farm, then at least six rows are recommended. The reasons for using shelterbelts with more than two rows to manage odour and other air emissions from the farm are explained in Section 3.
Please see the attached PDF document for complete information on shelterbelts. |
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