Quotables:

• Over the years, approximately 16 million tree and shrub seedlings have been grown and distributed to Saskatchewan landowners, Indigenous communities, municipalities and non-profits, free of charge.
• After more than 3 decades of continuous operation, it’s time to breathe new life into the Shand Greenhouse. We’re upgrading the greenhouse to support many more years of operation.
• To prepare for construction, no new seedlings have been planted. That means our annual seedling distribution program will take a one-year pause. We’ll resume seedling distribution in March 2028.

Since opening in 1991, the Shand Greenhouse near Estevan has been an example of SaskPower’s long-term support for the environment.

Over the years, approximately 16 million tree and shrub seedlings have been grown and distributed to Saskatchewan landowners, Indigenous communities, municipalities and non-profits, free of charge. Used for shelterbelts, reforestation efforts and more, these seedlings help restore land, support wildlife and improve green spaces across the province.

After more than 3 decades of continuous operation, it’s time to breathe new life into the Shand Greenhouse. We’re upgrading the greenhouse to support many more years of operation.

Once upgrades are complete, we hope to increase seedlings production from approximately 550,000 seedlings per year to as much as 700,000!

What Are We Doing?

This is the first major update to the greenhouse since the early 1990s. We’ll renew the entire facility, repairing and replacing key parts of the building and its equipment. This will allow us to expand operations and grow even more seedlings in the future. Upgrade work will include:

• Replacing the aging heating system
• Installing a new cooling system
• Constructing new freezer storage

We’ll post updates as the project advances on Shand Greenhouse Upgrade Project.

Seedlings Distribution Paused Next Year

To prepare for construction, no new seedlings have been planted. That means we won’t distribute seedlings in the coming year. We’ll resume seedling distribution in March 2028.

Taking this pause helps ensure construction can be completed safely.

A Fallow Year

In agriculture terms, a fallow year is a period of rest when nothing is planted. This helps the land restore nutrients and health. It’s a common practice for land management.

This year will be like a fallow year for Shand Greenhouse. One season off from planting with a legacy of trees and shrubs ahead.

Positive Community Impacts

Shand Greenhouse continues to help the environment and support work with communities by:

• Supporting partnerships and reconciliation initiatives with Indigenous communities
• Helping communities restore natural areas and plant shelterbelts
• Supporting wildlife and healthy ecosystems
• Helping store carbon naturally
• Providing employment and supporting local businesses in the Estevan region

While our focus is growing and supplying seedlings to our customers, in 2024 we dedicated a small portion of our production to planting 20,000 seedlings across the province, from Lake Athabasca to Estevan, and built a new nursery to collect seeds for future planting. In 2025, the project grew when a small, Indigenous tree-planting company took on the impressive task of planting 30,000 seedlings on reclaimed coal land. This year we grew 1,000 native wildflowers for the Nature Conservancy of Canada, who will be replanting them at their Echo Creek property near Fort Qu’Appelle.

In other cases, specific growing projects have helped reinforce ecosystems. For example:

• A project to grow milkweed, the only plant monarch butterflies use to lay their eggs and the main food source for caterpillars
• A project to grow thorny buffaloberry, a native shrub that offers nesting cover for loggerhead shrikes and sharp branches that those birds use to store prey.

Through these projects and more, the upgrades to Shand Greenhouse will help us keep supporting Saskatchewan’s environment and communities for many more decades.

Learn more:

• Shand Greenhouse
• Shand Greenhouse Upgrade Project