Establishment of Riparian Zones and Shelterbelts led by Clean Annapolis River Project (CARP) 

Riparian zones are areas of permanently vegetated land located at the edge of agricultural fields along watercourses such as streams, rivers, and ponds. Riparian zones function as transition zones between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, providing a buffer effect for the watercourse from agricultural impacts.  

Shelterbelts are windbreaks made of native tree and shrub species. They protect crops from strong winds and provide a habitat for pollinators. Particularly in wild blueberry fields, there is increasing damage to crops from strong winds and winter temperatures and loss of pollinator species. Shelterbelts can help address these concerns.  

There is high potential to sequester carbon in riparian and shelterbelt areas. Carbon can be stored in the soil through the presence of permanent roots and in the woody biomass of the plant species. The soil in these zones will remain undisturbed for the life of the established area, protecting the carbon stored in the soil from loss and reducing overall GHG emissions from machine traffic.  

Hear from one of our riparian zone producers on why they wanted to participate in this activity:

Hear from one of our shelterbelt producers on why they wanted to participate in this activity:

Riparian zones and shelterbelts were established at six fields; three riparian and three shelterbelt. Shelterbelts will be in wild blueberry fields, as this has been identified as an industry concern. Since the project’s inception, producers have collaborated with CARP on species selection, site preparation, planting, and conducting survivorship assessments. Living lab producers have also collaborated with CARP to identify native riparian and upland species on their properties. Starting in the spring of 2023, native trees and shrubs were planted at all riparian and shelterbelt sites by blueberry producers and the CARP team. Trees and shrubs continue to be monitored for survivorship and replanted as needed.  

At the three riparian buffer sites the species planted at each site include Bebb’s willow (Salix bebbiana), pussy willow (Salix discolor), speckled alder (Alnus incana), red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea), red spruce (Picea rubens), eastern larch (Larix laricina), eastern white pine (Pinus strobus), red maple (Acer rubrum) and sugar maple (Acer saccharum).   

Red spruce (Picea rubens), white spruce (Picea glauca), red maple (Acer rubrum), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), rhodora (Rhododendron canadense), Bebb’s willow (Salix bebbiana), and pussy willow (Salix discolor) have been planted at three wild blueberry farms in Nova Scotia to create shelterbelts.  

The many benefits of implementing riparian zones on agricultural land include naturally maintaining and reinforcing streambanks, reducing soil erosion in the field, shading the watercourse which improves water quality and fish habitat, trapping sediments and filtering nutrients from run-off, and maintaining and enhancing biodiversity. Riparian zones also provide a corridor for wildlife, reducing interactions between wildlife and agricultural activity. Vegetated riparian zones can also assist with flood control. To capture the potential benefits to the watercourse, water quality will be measured to monitor water temperature, chemical composition, and coliform bacteria. In 2024 benthic invertebrate sampling was added to better understand overall watercourse health.  

A biodiversity study with Nova Scotia Museums is looking at the diversity of moss and lichens, environmentally important species that have high diversity in agriculture riparian zones.  

Establishing shelterbelts on wild blueberry fields can help address the concerns listed above by providing habitat for native pollinators and reducing the need to bring in honeybee hives. Shelterbelts also reduce wind velocity and help prevent the formation of snow drifts. This more even distribution of snow creates a protective layer for the crops to survive winter temperatures and creates more uniform soil moisture in spring.  Shelterbelts also create landscape diversity and provide wildlife corridors. Pollination services will be measured at shelterbelt sites due to the importance of pollination in the blueberry industry. 

In 2024, the CARP team worked with producers to refine the planting by willow staking at the riparian sites to enhance erosion control and bank stabilization. Input from farmers and data from 2023 indicated that rodent browsing, interspecies competition, and flooding posed challenges at various locations. Consequently, CARP employed patch mowing and planted additional flood-tolerant species. Mowing has helped reduce competition from problematic species such as reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea), providing the young plants with more space to grow.  

Propagating native trees and shrubs on-site has been integral to establishing this BMP on farms. With the support of producers, CARP has sourced native Bebb’s willow (Salix bebbiana), pussy willow (Salix discolor), and red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea) from the riparian sites, as well as rhodora (Rhododendron canadense) at one shelterbelt location.  

High wind at our shelterbelt sites led to low pollinator collection in our first sampling year. The following year Blue Vane and cup traps were introduced at the shelterbelt sites to enhance sampling. These traps are specialized for Hymenopterans, particularly pollinators. 

In 2025, survivorship surveys will help determine whether the practices in 2023 and 2024 were effective or need to be fine-tuned. Additional tree planting will occur where necessary, and willow and dogwood staking will take place at the riparian sites.  

Thank you to Sunnyside Farms, Six Season Farm, and Bragg Lumber Company for participating in this activity.  

We are fortunate to have a wealth of knowledge and skill in our academic partners including Dr. David Burton’s lab and Dr. Derek Lynch’s lab at the Dalhousie University Faculty of Agriculture, for their role in analyzing the GHG samples and soil carbon samples, respectively. Dr. Paul Manning, also at Dalhousie University, has been analysing the insect populations at our riparian sites and Dr. Alana Pindar and Cape Breton University have been analyzing the pollinator populations at the shelterbelt sites. Dr. Sean Haughian, the Botany Curator at Nova Scotia Museums, has led the work on biodiversity of moss and lichens in our riparian sites.