Soil Conservation | Lacombe County

For more information on any of the items below, please contact Community Services at 403-782-8959. We can assist in planning for shelterbelts and grassed waterways to help alleviate some of these problems.

Lacombe County is blessed with an abundant, varied landscape of highly productive soils, ideal for growing a number of crops. Soil is the foundation of our environment, and plays a critical role in food security, as well as supporting our agricultural heritage.

Soil Conservation Act

Concerns about soil conservation increased during the early 1930s – also known as the “dirty thirties” – as a result of severe wind erosion events. In 1935, “The Control of Soil Drifting Act” was passed in Alberta which made the “occupier” of land responsible for soil drifting.

In 1962, that act was replaced by the Soil Conservation Act  , which is still used today to help prevent soil loss or deterioration from taking place or continuing.

The main areas of concern under the Soil Conservation Act are wind and water erosion.

Understanding Soil Conservation

Soil Conservation became an important concern in the early 1930s, as wind erosion problems became more severe. High-velocity winds swept across the province creating “black blizzards” hence the name “dirty thirties.” The risk of soil erosion by wind is extensive in the Prairie Provinces when the climate is dry and large expanses of open fields are unprotected.

The hydrologic processes of rainfall and runoff play an essential role in water erosion. The amount and rate of surface runoff can affect erosion and sediment transport. Thus, soil conservation practices are important in reducing soil erosion. Improving soil infiltration rate, thereby reducing surface runoff, can reduce soil erosion. Some situations may require management changes.

Under the Soil Conservation Act, it is an offence for landowners to allow soils to degrade either by wind or water erosion.

The Act imposes a duty upon every landholder to take appropriate measures to prevent soil loss or deterioration or to mitigate the same where it has occurred.

Where a breach of said duty occurs, the landholder may be served with a notice directing him or her to take remedial action within a specified time – usually 30 days.

If the landholder fails to comply with the directions given in the notice, a person authorized by the local authority may enter upon the land and take remedial action at the landholder's expense. If the local authority does not take appropriate actions, then the Minister can appoint an officer with the authority to do so. The legislation also provides appeal and dispute settlement mechanisms.

To address the problems and costs associated with soil erosion at a municipal level, the Soil Conservation Act provides municipalities with the authority to take action and/or impose penalties if soil is deteriorating through wind and water erosion or other means.

We strongly recommend, however, that efforts first be made to work with the person farming the land and/or the landowner before action is taken under the Act.

Wind Erosion

Soil Erosion | Water & Wind Erosion

Soil erosion is a gradual process that occurs when the impact of water or wind detaches and removes soil particles, causing the soil to deteriorate. Soil deterioration and low water quality due to erosion and surface runoff have become severe problems worldwide. The problem may become so severe that the land can no longer be cultivated and must be abandoned. This is a good reminder to protect our natural resources.

Erosion can be a serious problem for productive agricultural land and for water quality concerns. Controlling the sediment must be an integral part of any soil management system to improve water and soil quality. Eroded topsoil can be transported by wind or water into streams, other waterways, municipal ditches and degrade right-of-way contour. Sediment is a product of land erosion and derives largely from sheet and rill erosion from upland areas, and to a lesser degree, from cyclic erosion activity in gullies and drainage ways.

Water Erosion

Snowmelt and rainfall are the driving forces for water erosion on the prairies, and bare soils are especially vulnerable to erosion. Silty soils, soils low in organic matter, and soils with an impermeable subsoil layer are also more susceptible to water erosion.

Some methods you can implement to help reduce soil water erosion include:

Maintaining organic matter

Maintaining crop residue cover

Reducing tillage or using zero tillage practices

Implementing crop rotations

Learn more about water erosion control here.

Wind Erosion

Wind erosion moves topsoil, reduces soil organic matter and available crop nutrients, and contributes to the breakdown of soil structure. Wind erosion is especially problematic where large areas of open field are unprotected from wind.

Some methods you can implement to help reduce soil wind erosion include:

Maintaining a vegetative cover

Reducing tillage or using zero tillage practices

Avoiding overgrazing

Planting shelterbelts

Learn more about wind erosion control here.

Other Types of Erosion

Sheet erosion – Soil detachment by the impact of raindrops, transported by shallow sheet flow, and delivery to rill channels.

Rill erosion – Removal of soil by concentrated water running through little streamlets. Rills are less that 4 inches deep, are obliterated by tillage, and typically form in different locations from year to year.

Ephemeral erosion - occurs in natural depressions. It differs from gully erosion in that the area can be crossed by farm equipment.

Gully erosion - makes gullies, some of them huge, impossible to cross with farm machinery.

Erosion Control

The best way to prevent erosion is to keep the soil covered all the time with plants like grass, hay, or pasture. Areas that are very prone to erosion should be managed carefully to protect the soil. When soil washes away, it can also harm nearby water quality.

Crop residue (leftover plant material) helps protect the soil by:

Softening the impact of raindrops
Reducing water runoff
Keeping soil particles in place
Holding snow, which adds moisture later
Helping water soak into the soil instead of running off

Using good farming practices is also important. This includes crop rotations and reduced tillage methods like:

No-till
Strip-till
Reduced tillage

Less soil disturbance generally means better erosion control.

Follow other best management practices:

Wetland Conservation and Water Retention Management
Zero Tillage, Reduced Tillage
Crop Rotations
Grassed areas
Shelterbelt establishment for windbreak development

Water Erosion

Shelterbelts and their role in preventing soil erosion

With the current weather pattern shift, we are continuing to see higher-level winds, and one of the best ways to combat this is by establishing shelterbelts.

A shelterbelt is a barrier of trees or shrubs. The term “field shelterbelt” is used to distinguish between rows of trees or shrubs on agricultural fields from those planted in other ways: around farmyards or livestock facilities (farmstead shelterbelts), on marginal lands to change land use or in block plantings to provide woodlots or wildlife habitat.

Properly designed field shelterbelts, as part of a crop management system approach, prevent or greatly reduce the risk of wind erosion.

What is a Shelterbelt?

A shelterbelt is a barrier of trees or shrubs. The term “field shelterbelt” is used to distinguish between rows of trees or shrubs on agricultural fields from those planted in other ways: around farmyards or livestock facilities (farmstead shelterbelts), on marginal lands to change land use or in block plantings to provide woodlots or wildlife habitat.

Field shelterbelts are a part of conservation management systems that will help safeguard the productive quality of our soils.

Benefits of Shelterbelts

Properly placed field shelterbelts provide agronomic and other benefits. The main agronomic benefits include the following:

Reduced soil erosion by wind
Increased moisture for crop growth due to two factors: – snow trapping – reduced moisture loss through evaporation
Potential for increased crop yields
Reduced wind damage to crops

Other benefits:

Provide wildlife habitat and shelter for livestock.
Improve safety in winter travel due to reduced snow drifting.
Lower costs of snow removal from roads.
Beautification of the prairie landscape.
Reduced environmental effects of agriculture by maintaining groundwater balance and protecting watersheds.
Provide a potential source of income for farmers (e.g. biomass, timber, berries, firewood and non-timber products).

Resources for establishing a shelterbelt

Prairie Shelterbelt Program
Phone: 403-507-8340

Tree Time
Phone: 1-844-873-3700
Email: sales@treetime.ca

Help International Shelterbelt Program
Phone: cell (306) 861 0814
Email: helpint@sasktel.net

Interested in establishing a shelterbelt?

Prairie Shelterbelt Program Help International Shelterbelt Centre Tree Time