By Brittney Matejka

Ranchers with burnt grassland sign up to participate in UofA study

May 11, 2018 | 4:53 PM

HILDA, AB. – Researchers from the University of Alberta met with a room of ranchers affected by the devastating October wild fires near Hilda and Acadia Valley last night.

Dr. Cameron Carlyle from the University of Alberta is conducting a $200,000 study funded by the provincial government. He will be looking at the recovery of burnt grasssland over the next five years.

“What we are interested in looking at is the recovery of forage,” he said. “To help people figure out when they’ll best be able to put cattle back out on the land and when the land is recovered from the fire.”

Carlyle said the main thing they will be looking at is the re-development of the litter layer on the soil.

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“Litter is is dead plant material that is laying on the soil surface,” he said. “It’s important because it helps to hold water in the soil and increase plant growth.”

Farmer Andy Kirshenman attended the meeting and views the study as being positive.

“I am very impressed with it,” he said. “I think the information was good, quite expected but it’s good to hear from some people who have the research behind it.”

Kirshenman said he has signed his grassland up to be studied as he likes the idea of having access to the information collected.

“There is that idea we can learn something from it,” he said. “Maybe affect provincial policy, maybe in how this is grazed again and see what kind of a recovery we can get with different managements.”

Brent Williams with the M.D. of Acadia said the evening was optimistic and productive for those affected by the fire. But he does raise a concern about a lack of support being showed from the provincial government towards crop producers also affected by the blaze.

“The erosion that occurred on the cultivated land from October 17th right up until 2 weeks ago has been enormous,” he said. “Those cultivated producers are feeling left out, we are hoping the province will at least show some support to them as well.”

The Alberta government has not announced any research money for the study of burnt cultivated land.

Ranchers can still sign up to participate in the grassland recovery study by contacting Dr. Cameron Carlyle at the University of Alberta (780) 492 – 2546