Fruit and nut trees might not be the first thing that come to mind when thinking about shelterbelts — but that could soon change.
At Ag in Motion 2025 near Langham, Sask., Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research scientist Shathi Akhtar showcased her work intercropping berry bushes and tree species such as sea buckthorn and buffalo berry alongside annual and perennial crops. The idea is to take shelterbelts beyond their traditional role and turn them into productive systems that boost both biodiversity and farm returns.
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The difference between this method of growing trees and bushes and traditional shelterbelts is the additional value for the producer from a fruit or nut crop. As well, certain species are better for moisture conservation and nitrogen fixing.
“We are seeing some enrichment in soil nutrients in terms of nitrogen because both sea buckthorn and buffalo berry are nitrogen-fixing crops,” she said. “And they are close to 10 years old now, so they … could provide maximum benefit to the adjacent crop.”
The site Akhtar referred to is at Agriculture Canada’s research centre at Indian Head, Sask. It has been in production for nearly a decade, and as a result, she is able to see the benefits of this intercropping. It uses sea buckthorn and buffalo berry, alongside annual crops and perennial legumes.
Other trial sites in Saskatchewan are at Carry the Kettle First Nation and Cowessess First Nation. There are also sites in Nova Scotia and British Columbia, with every site growing different species.
The goal is to explore how traditional fruit trees native to different parts of Canada perform when intercropped with annual or perennial crops — whether that’s cereals, oilseeds or forages — and how those combinations are affected by variations in climate, soil type and region.
“We’re trying to actually tackle quite a lot of things in this project,” she said.
At Carry the Kettle, the researchers chose to integrate buffalo berry, saskatoon berry, apple and grape, intercropped with a forage stand for cattle grazing. The site is established but fairly new, with small trees and a forage stand that hasn’t had a strong start yet.
Akhtar was keeping an eye on the site throughout the summer and will be evaluating it in the fall to see if dormant seeding is needed.
“We’ll add some legume and some native grasses to … bring back the forage side of the story,” she said.
“Trees will take time. Trees take, in this case, five to six years to even see any meaningful tree influence on the ground. So I don’t expect to see any drastic difference in the first couple of years.”
She said there is no reason to worry about establishment competition.
“Trees will send their roots much deeper in the soil compared to the forage grass or legume that is there. And so technically, they are not competing for water and nutrients, but it’s more of a mutualistic relationship, where they’re helping each other.”
The expected outcome is to see improvements in soil health and carbon, microclimate modifications such as wind, temperature and humidity, and reduced evapotranspiration, which will be beneficial in persisting drought conditions.
Additionally, the trees help with holding snow for spring melt and protecting crops from wind. This works especially well because in part of Akhtar’s trial, the alleys between tree belts are narrower than traditional shelterbelts.
Instead of a few hundred metres, the alley widths are 15 to 26 metres wide to allow for easy equipment use but maximum crop protection. A few different widths, typically 15, 20 and 26 metres, are used to compare production benefits.
“At the end of the day, it would be the cost and benefit analysis from the farmer’s perspective,” she said.
“Environmental and ecological benefits are important, but unless it checks off on the agronomic side, I don’t think we’ll get much adoption.”
Another environmental benefit is increased biodiversity. Akhtar said that at the well-established site near Indian Head, they’ve been seeing higher numbers of birds, insects and animals, including birds listed as at risk.
Economic benefits have been noticed in the trials that use hazelnuts alongside fruit trees. It is a high-value crop and is in high demand. Akhtar believes it could become a new crop for the province if intercropping trials prove successful.
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