Aspen Land Group
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Service area based on publicly available information and/or Land Intelligence research.
Vegetation, Crops & Animals › Trees, Ecological Restoration & Landscape
Tree Planting in Alberta
Needs filtering — large unfiltered list · 31 providers
Professional tree planting services.
When to use: Establish trees for shade, wind protection, habitat, or production.
- Duration
- 1–20 days
- Typical size
- 10–10,000 trees
- Permits
- None typically
Scope of work
- Species selection
- Site preparation
- Planting
- Staking
- Mulching
- Watering plan
How this works in Alberta
Trees you plant now are shade, windbreak, and crop in ten years. Professional planting is how they actually survive the first two.
Start with hardiness and placement. Natural Resources Canada's current Plant Hardiness Zones map (4th edition, based on 1991–2020 climate normals) lets you look up the zone for your exact location, which narrows the species list. Placement then sets the long-term costs. County seedling programs advise keeping new trees away from buildings, buried service lines, pipelines and overhead power lines.
On acreages in or near forested areas, species choice also affects wildfire risk. Alberta's FireSmart Begins at Home Guide lists deciduous trees such as poplar, birch, aspen, cottonwood, maple, alder, ash and cherry as resistant to wildfire. It says coniferous trees such as spruce, fir, pine and cedar are highly flammable and should not be within 10 metres of the home. Beyond that, it recommends at least 3 metres between evergreen crowns.
Planting method matters for survival. For seedlings, one county program advises planting within a few days of pickup, digging a hole as deep as the roots and about twice as wide, and avoiding areas with heavy weed competition or highly compacted or saturated soil. Alberta Agriculture's shelterbelt guidance adds that soil should be firmed around each tree, and that planting should stop when wind speed is above 30 km/h.
Typical cost in Alberta
Price per tree depends mostly on stock size: bare-root seedlings cost little to buy, while large balled-and-burlapped or container trees need machinery and more labour to plant.
| Item | Range | Source | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tree planting, bare-root to balled-and-burlapped | $25–$150 per tree | Land Intelligence planning estimate (Aug 2026), not a quote | Land Intelligence planning estimate · 2026-08-11 |
| Seedlings through a county ratepayer program (stock only) | $0.33–$5.00 per seedling | County of Grande Prairie – Shelterbelt Program | Official · 2026 program (accessed 2026-10-26) |
The county seedling price is for stock only and is limited to residents of the county that runs the program. It does not include planting, staking, mulch or watering.
Ranges are planning figures from the sources shown, not quotes. Get written quotes for your site.
Alberta rules and permits
- Tree planting counts as ground disturbance. Submit a free locate request through Utility Safety Partners at least 3 full business days before digging. (Utility Safety Partners – Digging Safely in Alberta, Homeowner Edition v1.4)
- A Utility Safety Partners locate does not mark privately owned lines such as septic tanks and fields, well lines, irrigation, or power and telecom lines run from the house to a shop or shed. Those need a private locate arranged separately. (Utility Safety Partners – Digging Safely in Alberta, Homeowner Edition v1.4)
- FireSmart guidance: keep coniferous trees (spruce, fir, pine, cedar) more than 10 metres from the home, and avoid bark or pine-needle mulch within 10 metres because it is highly combustible. (Government of Alberta – FireSmart Begins at Home Guide (2023))
- Keep new trees away from overhead power lines. FortisAlberta says customer work within 7 metres of an overhead line requires an overhead orientation (310-WIRE). Other utilities have their own contacts. (FortisAlberta – Vegetation management: customer's role)
Sizing and planning
- Look up your hardiness zone on the NRCan Plant Hardiness Zones viewer before choosing species.
- Seedling hole: as deep as the roots and about twice the width of the root ball (county program guidance).
- In the FireSmart Extended Zone (10–30 m from the home), space evergreens so there is at least 3 m between crowns.
- For rows meant as windbreaks, use the shelterbelt spacings (for example 3 m in the row for spruce or poplar) rather than ornamental spacing.
Alberta providers
31 providers on file — Needs filtering — large unfiltered list. Showing 7 first (verified and located listings first). Confirm relevance and service area before you contact anyone.
Davey Tree
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Service area based on publicly available information and/or Land Intelligence research.
Ethos Enviro
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Identified
Service area based on publicly available information and/or Land Intelligence research.
Soil & Forestry Consulting
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Identified
Service area based on publicly available information and/or Land Intelligence research.
Alberta Tree Farms
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Identified
Service area based on publicly available information and/or Land Intelligence research.
Anderson Environmental
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Identified
Service area based on publicly available information and/or Land Intelligence research.
Tannas Conservation Services Ltd.
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Identified
Service area based on publicly available information and/or Land Intelligence research.
24 additional listings are on file. This page shows a filtered first set of 7 so the list stays usable. Confirm relevance, licensing, and service area before you contact anyone.
Common questions
What trees are safest near the house in wildfire country?
Alberta's FireSmart guide lists deciduous trees such as poplar, birch, aspen, maple, ash and cherry as fire-resistant, and says to keep spruce, fir, pine and cedar more than 10 metres from the home.
Do I need a locate to plant trees?
Yes. Utility Safety Partners lists tree planting as ground disturbance. The request is free; allow at least 3 full business days.
When should seedlings go in?
One county program advises planting within a few days of pickup. Its seedlings are ready in late May or early June.
How do I find my hardiness zone?
Use Natural Resources Canada's Plant Hardiness Zones viewer, which uses 1991–2020 climate normals.
Sources
- Natural Resources Canada – Plant Hardiness Zones of Canada (map viewer) (4th edition, 1991–2020 normals)
- County of Grande Prairie – Shelterbelt Program (2026 program (accessed 2026-10-26))
- Government of Alberta – FireSmart Begins at Home Guide (2023) (2023-11-22)
- Alberta Agriculture and Food – Shelterbelts in Alberta, Agdex 277/20-2 (1992)
- Utility Safety Partners – Digging Safely in Alberta, Homeowner Edition v1.4 (2025-04)
- Utility Safety Partners – Submit a locate request (accessed 2026-10-26)
- FortisAlberta – Vegetation management: customer's role (accessed 2026-10-26)