2025 Conifer Tree Seedling Program
County landowners can order affordable white spruce or lodgepole pine seedlings suitable for starting a shelterbelt or rejuvenating a naturally wooded area.
The Tree Seedling Program, in partnership with West Fraser, provides opportunity to purchase bundles of fifteen spruce or fifteen pine seedlings at $5.00 per bundle. A minimum order of five bundles is required (for minimum purchase of $25.00).
Trees must be planted on the property applied for and not sold or given away. Verification of landownership in Clearwater County required with application submission (example: property tax notice).
How to Apply:
Forms can be found in the Agriculture and Community Services office or online by clicking here.
To submit:
- Email application to landcare@clearwatercounty.ca (payment will need to be made in person, by e-transfer, or by cheque in the mail)
- Drop application off in person to the Agriculture and Community Services building
- Mail application to: Clearwater County, Attn. Ag and Community Services, 4340 - 47 Ave Box 550, Rocky Mtn. House AB, T4T 1A4
Payment options:
- Cash
- Cheque (if paying by cheque, make it out to Clearwater County with "Tree Seedlings" in the memo)
- Debit (credit card not taken)
- E-transfer to accrec@clearwatercounty.ca
*Application forms must be accompanied by payment in full upfront when submitted*
For additional information or any questions, contact Ag and Community Services staff at 403-846-4040.
Hemp Mats 
Square hemp fiber mats available to help maximize your tree seedling investment. These are great for seedling establishment and helping them to access light, nutrients and moisture that other vegetation robs.
Hemp fiber products also come in rolls (4ft X 50ft) for custom applications like slope protections, row planting where plants are closer together, lining swales or low areas, culvert inlets or outlets, and even pond banks and are an alternative to straw or coconut matting.
See document on How to install hemp mats
| Product | Price |
|---|---|
| 12 " hemp mat | $0.66 + GST |
| 18 " hemp mat | $1.35 + GST |
| 4 X 50 foot roll | $117.90 |
For additional information or any questions, contact Ag and Community Services staff at 403-846-4040.
Green Acreages
The Land Stewardship Center is committed to engaging, informing and enabling stewards of the land. One of the programs available to assist landowners is the Green Acreages Program.
The Green Acreages Program offers publications, workshops and financial incentives developed especially for acreage, hobby farm and recreational property owners to help them implement stewardship practices that conserve and protect the valuable natural assets such as air, land, water, wildlife, associated with their properties.
There is also a Green Acreages Guide that was developed as a starting point which brings together information on many topics of concern for new or existing acreage owners. Inside it includes 20 chapters that discuss such topics as Life in Rural Alberta, Water, Property Evaluation, and Waste Management to name a few.
The chapters include a checklist for property owners and conclude with a list of further resource links to websites offering more information. Appropriate property management can help protect your investment as a property owner. Working with the surrounding environment, managing your property correctly, keeps your investment attractive and appealing to future buyers.
Clearwater County offers copies of the green acreages guide to residents at the Agriculture and Community Services office. The guide can also be downloaded online from the Land Stewardship Center website.
Mountain Pine Beetle
WHAT IS MOUNTAIN PINE BEETLE?
The Mountain Pine Beetle (MPB) is a small, black beetle about the size of a grain of rice. It is a naturally occurring insect found in pine forests.
WHAT TYPE OF TREES MAY BE ATTACKED?
Mountain pine beetles attack and kill pine trees, usually mature ones aged 80 to 120 years old. All species of pine, including lodgepole, jack pine, scotts pine and ponderosa pine are vulnerable. Mountain pine beetles do not attack aspen, spruce or fir trees.
WHEN DO BEETLES ATTACK TREES AND HOW LONG DO THEY STAY IN TREES?
Beetles fly in search of new trees in July and August. Once a beetle has found a suitable tree, it will live in that tree for the remainder of its life and lay eggs. The new generation of beetles will not emerge from the tree for at least one year.
IF MY TREE IS ATTACKED, WILL IT DIE?
Trees successfully attacked by mountain pine beetles usually die within one year, however if the beetle has made an attempt to enter the tree but is "pitched out” before completing reproduction, the tree may survive.
HOW CAN I TELL IF MY TREES HAVE BEEN ATTACKED?
Look for creamy globs that look like crystallized honey, called pitch tubes, and sawdust at the base of the tree and in the bark’s crevices.
WHAT DO I DO IF MY TREE IS INFESTED?
Scout out the pine trees on your property, wrap survey tape around each tree that has been attacked. It is recommended that a tree with more than 40 pitch tubes be removed. In the winter months, trees can be sold and transported to sawmills and debarked on their site. Other options are to hire an arborist with a chipper to come on to your property and leave the material on site or burn the mass attacked trees before July when the developing beetles could emerge to attack nearby trees.
WHAT IS THE CURRENT STATUS OF THE MOUNTAIN PINE BEETLE POPULATION IN CLEARWATER COUNTY? HOW CAN CLEARWATER COUNTY HELP?
Clearwater County has worked diligently with the provincial government to address the Mountain Pine Beetle infestations over the last few years by monitoring the spread and providing control efforts on private land.
Due to diligent work, boots on the ground efforts and with the help of mother nature’s frigid winters, officials recently stated the province has had "striking progress" against the pests – the most destructive problem facing pine forests.
Mountain Pine Beetle populations have declined 98 per cent since the beetle’s peak in 2019 with populations expected to decline even further next year, says the province. Providing less worry for landowners which is great news, especially for those with large pine forests or specialty pine trees around the homestead.
Though populations of the Mountain Pine Beetle have declined, this is not to say that you should turn a blind eye to MPB going forward or other possible tree issues that may arise or be found. Doing so could save your woodlot, shelterbelt, or the trees in your yard.
Here are some steps residents and visitors can take to eliminate the spread of pests and tree disease:
- Be careful with firewood. If you bring firewood home from an infected tree you risk spreading a pest on to trees on your property and in your neighborhood.
- Keep trees healthy, as any tree stressed by a lack of moisture, poor pruning, trunk or root injury and topping, are at greater risk of disease.
- Diversify your wooded areas with different tree species. Always be planning for the next generation of trees.
- Be realistic about life expectancy. Every tree is ultimately terminal. An end-of-life strategy for trees includes knowing when to remove them. Assess your trees before they become a problem.
- Take responsibility for trees on your own property. A landowner is ultimately responsible as the provincial government does not control trees on private or municipal land.
Clearwater County Ag and Community Services staff are available to assist landowners with inquiries regarding pests or tree health issues and best management or control options. Feel free to give us a call at 403-846-4040.
For questions about MPB on public (crown) land contact Alberta Agriculture and Forestry.
For more information visit the Alberta Agriculture & Forestry website.