Reforestation Tree Planter
Recovery
Primarily consists of planting conifers to reforest harvested areas or terrain lost to wildfire. It is production-based and crew-oriented work with an emphasis on proper planting and handling of seedlings. Involves hard and repetitive physical labour along with the dynamics of working with a crew.
Entry-level
EXPERIENCE LEVEL
Spring, Summer, Fall
SEASONALITY
High
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
Surveys of what tree planters felt about their job showed an even split. Half said the hard work, rough exposure to the elements along with the isolated camp life set in often wild and uncivilized terrain were the best things about planting trees. Half felt it was the worse. Yet they all plant trees each day motivated by the prospects of good earnings, the communal camp life, and the fitness and maturation that comes with doing something as constructive as reforesting our landscapes.
A DAY IN THE LIFE
Although tree planters are autonomous in their individual work you will be caught up in the collective common effort of the crew. Much winds up being shared from the weather and ground to space at the dinner table or in the truck for the daily commute to and from work. With the intense concentration of daily exertion work weeks are often shortened to three days on and one day off to rest and recover. Contracts include many worksites at various distances from camp or town leading at times to long commutes, sometimes with walk-ins to finally arrive at the block. Some sites may involve helicopters or boats. You will rise early have breakfast, pack your lunch, your planting and personal gear, your very important drinking water and whatever it might take to get you through rigors of the pending day. When you return, usually just before the all important supper, you will look forward to resting, sharing your day's travails and triumphs and feeling the cadence of the camp winding down.
WORKING CONDITIONS
This is all weather and all terrain work. Occasionally, snow, wind, heat, smoke, or rivers of rain can bring things to a halt until conditions improve. But you will find, for better or worse, there is little distance between yourself and the vagaries of the elements on the worksite. You will work on your own making sense of the terrain in front of you matching what it offers against your purpose to plant seedlings quickly at the right distance in the most advantageous places. You may have to navigate the slash and disturbance of harvested ground or the blackened legacy of a previous wildfire. Some planters will say it is less about the state of the ground and more about your state of mind that make up your work conditions. Besides the mental effort, you must hone your exertions for efficiency, not only for reasons of production, but to keep from overworking your muscles and joints.
CYCLICAL NATURE OF ROLE
Tree planting is cyclical at many levels. A day of planting is one long exercise of repeated motions. On the tough coastal terrain you may plant 600 trees on a good day. On some interior sites, you may exceed 2000 seedlings. You will see how camp life and its routines soon reduces things to a rythmn of work and rest. The planting season is made up of a sequence of contracts each requiring a camp move resembling an itinerant cycle. The seasonal planting campaign is driven by the necessities of seedling biology. Planting "windows", times during a season when it is optimum to plant a seedling, dictate the place, pace and urgency of the work. Planting crews are bound to these cycles from when planting begins in late winter on the coast as the campaign follows the annual snowmelt and freshet up the inlets into the south interior and to the north in April. A small planting season return to the coast in the fall.
REQUIRED EDUCATION & TRAINING
You will be working hard. If you can arrive at work reasonably fit you will have a better chance of success. The more you understand how your body works in terms of caloric intake, hydration, rest, proper motion, maintenance, and so on the better.
REQUIRED SOFT SKILLS
This is a self-motivating role. You will be supervised, but most of the time you will be on your own—so absorbing and following instructions is key. It's best to plant to the correct specifications of the site the first time. You will need to be able to orient yourself to understand the layout of the block you are working on. Planting sites can be unpredictable. Even with the concentration it takes to complete the task at hand you will have to be aware of your situation mindful of hazards or surprises. Tree planting can attract all kinds of people, you being one of them. Mutual respect is always a wise foundation for getting to know people.
REQUIRED HARD SKILLS
This is entry level work. It is manual work, sometimes described as stoop labour. There are no prerequisite skills required. Nevertheless, having basic or advanced first aid training may help you get work or be able to assist in an emergency on site.
ON THE JOB LEARNING
You will of course develop the dexterity, coordination and decision-making skills it takes to plant trees. This combined with your exposure to some of the technical aspects of the work including, map reading, stock handling, species and site selection etc will give you a grasp of some fundamental forest management principles. You will know quite literally how to get around in the woods.
FUTURE CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
As a tree planter you will be part of the ongoing field of work to restore landscapes due to industrial development and the effects of climate change. With experience there may be opportunities to advance to leadership roles as a crew boss or project manager. Many other occupational, technical, and professional opportunities are possible in forest management and ecosystem resilience restoration.