EllisDon is thrilled to announce its partnership with Project Forest, a non-profit organization dedicated to rewilding local landscapes to naturally capture carbon. This collaboration aims to support the Siksika Nation Community Shelterbelt Program, a vital initiative focused on bringing much-needed trees to Siksika Nation, the second-largest reserve in Canada.

For over a century, the federal government provided trees to farmers across the prairies to establish shelterbelts, offering protection from the harsh elements and enhancing crop-growing conditions. However, Siksika Nation and many other First Nations were not included in this program, missing out on the numerous benefits these trees offer.

In response to this inequity, Project Forest initiated the Siksika Nation Community Shelterbelt Program, which involves planting shelterbelts around homes, communities, and agricultural fields within Siksika Nation. These shelterbelts, which can span up to five rows wide and include food-bearing and medicinal plants, will have a positive impact by creating privacy from the road, mitigating extreme weather, and providing spaces for traditional land-use activities like berry-picking.

As part of our partnership, EllisDon will be purchasing one tree for every new hire from now until the end of 2024 to support the Siksika Nation Community Shelterbelt Program in their mission to bring greenery and sustainability to the community.

To learn more about this partnership and Project Forest, click here: https://projectforest.ca/projects/project-forest-siksika-nation/