Planting Trees Focus of New U of S Ag Research Chair

Posted January 28, 2004


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Wednesday, January 28th, 2004 2004-01-14-AG

Planting Trees Focus of New U of S Ag Research Chair

Saskatchewan farmers may someday add trees to their crop options and help
Canada reach its commitments under the Kyoto Protocol thanks to knowledge
developed under an Agroforestry and Afforestation Research Chair at the
University of Saskatchewan funded by the Canada-Saskatchewan Agri-Food
Innovation Fund (AFIF).

Ken Van Rees, a professor in the College of Agriculture, has been appointed
to the new Chair. AFIF, a federal-provincial initiative dedicated to the
development of emerging primary and value-added agriculture sectors in
Saskatchewan, will provide a total of $1 million in funding over 10 years.

Van Rees will examine which tree species and varieties grow best in each of
the province's varied soil and climate regions. This will result in a
powerful database of knowledge that farmers will use for agroforestry -
planting trees.

"Dr. Van Rees's work promises to change how we think about trees and
agriculture," said Ernie Barber, Dean of Agriculture. "Trees offer farmers a
chance to diversify their income and serve a whole new market. At the same
time, our forestry industry will benefit from a renewable source of wood and
fibre."

"This new research chair builds on the success of Saskatchewan's progress in
agroforestry," said Deputy Premier and Minister of Agriculture, Food and
Rural Revitalization Clay Serby.

"The adoption of agroforestry and afforestation systems in Saskatchewan can
create many opportunities and benefits for our rural economy through crop
diversification, enhanced timber and fibre supply and bio-based products."

Van Rees will explore tree plantations and "silvopastoral" systems that
combine tree cultivation and cattle ranching. He will also study how trees
can be used to restore damaged ecosystems beside streams and rivers that are
essential to protect water quality and control erosion. Afforestation, or
establishing plantations where trees haven't grown for a long time, is also
an important part of the program.

While Saskatchewan farmers are adept at growing cereals and oilseeds, trees
are a different matter. What herbicides are safe for use around what trees?
What fertilizers should be used, and in what form?

"There's just so much we don't know," Van Rees says. "The goal of this chair
is to incorporate agroforestry and afforestation into farming practices, to
help farmers diversify. To do this, we need knowledge, and we need to get
that knowledge to the farmers."

To this end, Van Rees will work closely with researchers at the Agriculture
and Agri-Food Canada - PFRA Shelterbelt Centre in Indian Head to study the
performance of their fast-growing poplar hybrids. These trees promise to
yield harvestable timber within 20 years - four times faster than their
boreal counterparts such as aspen. Van Rees also intends to create a
computer database of tree performance across Saskatchewan's varied climate
and soil zones.

The Saskatchewan Forest Centre in Prince Albert is also participating both
with $139,000 through its Forest Development Fund for a research project,
and a commitment to transfer the knowledge to farmers through their
extension staff. Local industry players such as Mistik Management in Meadow
Lake and Weyerhaeuser in Prince Albert are also involved, as is the Canadian
Forest Service's Edmonton office.

"We're also working with extension agrologists and local farmers that have
taken some of our trees and allow us to use their land for research," Van
Rees said. "It's very much a collaborative, grassroots effort."

Trees are also excellent carbon sinks -- they absorb carbon dioxide from the
air and lock up the carbon in their wood. Van Rees is in year three of a
five-year research program exploring this question. The Natural Sciences and
Engineering Research Council (NSERC) has provided a $750,000 strategic grant
for this work, which may yield new tools to help reduce greenhouse gases.
NSERC is the leading federal government science granting agency.

The federal-provincial agreement governing AFIF ended in March, 2003.
Two-thirds of the funding comes from the Canadian government and one-third
from the province. In all, $91 million in research, development and
infrastructure was invested in Saskatchewan under the program.

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For more information, contact:

Ken Van Rees
Professor Department of Soil Science
College of Agriculture
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-6853 (please leave a message)
vanrees@sask.usask.ca

Michael Robin
U of S/CLS Research Communications
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-2427
michael.robin@usask.ca
www.usask.ca/research