The work of the Stanley Soil Management Association largely goes somewhat unnoticed by the public at large, but it is important work nevertheless.
The various projects of the organization were highlighted last Wednesday at its annual general meeting.
“For our organization, our bread and butter throughout all of our activities has been tree planting,” said technician Richard Warkentin. “We first were founded by a group of six farmers. The mandate has always been to plant trees and to maintain shelterbelts and so on, and we are still focusing on those things.”
For over 112 years, tree seedlings were offered free of charge to prairie landowners through the federal tree nursery at Indian Head, SK, but federal funding was discontinued in 2013.
Since 2014, then, the association has been offering tree seedling sales to area landowners on a cost recovery basis. In 2025, they sold about 36,000 trees and shrubs, and 65 per cent of these trees were planted at Pembina Valley Watershed District sites.
In his annual report, Warkentin noted there was over 13 miles of new tree shelterbelt rows planted using 9,436 trees and 18 different varieties. In addition, there were 2,897 trees planted with a spade in gaps over 12.6 miles.
“Our most activity has to do with supplying trees for the watershed district. That’s what keeps up busy for most of the winter and into spring. That’s one of our biggest things,” he said. “We only plant about a quarter of what we actually supply. A lot of people find their own way to plant or they plant on their own.
“We do planting all over the place … and everything is done on a cost recovery basis. We are a not for profit group, but we don’t go into a hole. We try to do it at a reasonable rate.”
Warkentin also noted how closely they work with the watershed district is a very positive thing for them, as they are able to play a vital supporting role considering the district goes all the way from Boissevain in the west to Letellier in the east.
“It’s a big, wide area,” he said. “We have almost sort of become an arm of the watershed district to provide services more in the eastern parts of the district.”
Warkentin also touched on some of their other ongoing efforts:
• Spraying: directed spraying can be effective for weed control in shelterbelts. This year, 5.45 miles were sprayed.
• Mulch: plastic mulch provides weed control and helps conserve moisture for the trees for at least five years. The plastic mulch is placed over the trees after planting, and the operator pokes a hole in the mulch during application, and the tree is pulled through the hole.
In the past year, 9.81 miles were covered with plastic mulch, and maintenance was done by hoeing and tilling. Trees survive better if kept weed free for at least three years, so 2.45 miles were hoed and 1.25 miles were tilled.
• Abandoned well sealing: the association seals abandoned wells in the R.M. of Stanley through the Pembina Valley Watershed District well sealing program. Landowners are charged $150 to have the well sealed properly, while the average cost to seal a well is $800. Wells on the Winkler aquifer are sealed free of charge. In 2025, five wells were sealed in the R.M. of Stanley and two on the Winkler aquifer.
• Educational activities: Presentations on the value of trees were done at five schools in the R.M. of Stanley, and they distributed 340 tree seedlings to students.
• Public awareness: There was a display and presentations made at various festivals in the area.
Finally, another ongoing effort is focused on diffuse knapweed monitoring.
Diffuse knapweed is an invasive weed that is only found in the R.M. of Stanley in all of Manitoba. With assistance from watershed district summer staff, the association spent some time monitoring and spraying diffuse knapweed. They found more plants than they had for years, so they collected the plants and burned them.
“Diffuse knapweed is this weed that’s been around for about 40 years in the RM of Stanley, and the goal is to eradicate it, but it’s still kind of there,” said Warkentin. “We need to bring that element of awareness that it’s still there, and we need to still work at eradicating it.”
