Update

Haven't updated the blog in while. Well, not too much time to post about planting when you are preparing for the upcoming season, but are not planting yet.

According to my stats, there's still a bunch of people looking for a planting job. Reality check: It's too late.

I'm off to Edmonton for pre-season work in a few days. More on that later.

And just before I go, here's another planting video from a fast planter's perspective. The planter is Milo McMahon, a Manitoba planter that was featured in the Ed's Up episode about tree-planting.

The soundtrack has been deactivated...possessive music giants do that.

Planting in Nova Scotia

According to the website's stats, I've noticed there's a few blog visitors looking for info on planting trees in the Maritimes.

There isn't much info easily available on the subject, and even tree planting website have very few things to offer.

I don't have much either, but since I stumbled on a few forestry companies' websites that hires tree planters in Nova Scotia, I thought I'd share the links:

Scott and Stewart Forestry Consultants hires for the Antigonish region.

There's also Coastal Trilling Reforestation, featured in the sidebar links, operating out of Halifax.

That's all I found for now, I'll try to dig further within the next days.

Coastal Planting

Given the number of people than lands here searching for Coastal work or info, and the fact that I don't know shit about it, except that it's a fairly exclusive club, I'd like to redirect you to this replant.ca thread on the subject.

Good luck!

Will Update Soon

Haven't had time to write stuff on the planting blog. It's the post-planting season and it is the time of the year when I don't miss nor want to talk about treeplanting much.

I will post stories and pictures about my 2008 season, but I guess I should send some info to my treeplanting company so they could pay me my non-production day hours before I actually undergo less productive endeavours.

Not working, at all, feels great though.

Potential planters, start getting as much info on the job as possible, you'll need to start applying in December. Jobs will only get rarer if the industry remains the way it is, which is a rather optimistic assessment.

To the fellow planters, enjoy the post-season, travels and school. Will post soon and start missing planting around mid-December if the previous years are any indication.

Cheers.

Busy But Alive

Working hard, slept in only two beds in a month and today was the first actual day off I've had (And I've been forgotten in Rocky Mountain House as the cook took my truck to go get the food order and left for camp, so no one picked me up and I'm still sitting in the hotel lobby...Awesome!)

The Saskatchewan contract lasted three weeks and was quite difficult on everybody, but we now moved onto the beautiful Rocky Mountain House area for our spring contract there. We planted about half of the prescribed trees in the shift that ended yesterday. Been working a lot, with not much rest, but it is less demanding physically and emotionally than last year and I have had a few very easy days (including heli slinging duty which mean 10% work and 90% wait). Also, we started with three crews and are now down to two since a crew left to plant oilfields in northern Alberta. We still have two tree deliverers, and delivering one crew is not a difficult job most of the time. Mostly when you're used to deliver three crews alone. We might lose another crew in a week or so, so I'll be delivering one crew plus additional planters from Ontario as their spring season ends. Tehn, towards the end of our summer contracts, all the original crews should be back together for the final stretch.

I've been writing daily entries about the season so far, but I won't post them until the season ends as I have nop time and internet fares are prohibitive.

Until then, keep pounding!

time to go wait...

Links and References

Your first season in the bush as a tree-planter is approaching? Need more information about the job, the slang, a few tips on getting in shape and ready to pound trees?

I gathered a bunch of information on various treeplanting-related topics and posted in this all-inclusive informative post for your enjoyment. Of course, none of the following information is mine and credit and thanks are given to everyone involved. Feel free to get as much information as you can, it will give you a definite advantage when the season starts. It doesn't prepare your for everything, but there's a lot of what tree-planting is that can't be fully grasped until you experience it. Might sound somewhat pretentious, but it's actually the case.

SLANG
First, planting being heavy in job-specific slang, I'd suggest to glance at a summary of T.Colin Strong's study on tree-planting lexicon, as featured (and self-admittingly, plagiarized) on Viking's blog. The whole study is available here. You can also browse this planting terms dictionary, as featured on Scooter's Replant.ca. Finally, this is Chris Stoltz's treeplanting lingo 101, a funny, yet informative take on the slang, as shown on Peppermill Records' Hi and Ho, We Plant Trees page. I especially like this one, don't ask me why:

Tree hauler, tree runner (n)-- somebody who gets paid $150-200 to drive a quad or F-350, smoke cigarettes, gossip and try to wheel the female planters. The hardest working person on an Alberta contract..

And this one:

World (n)-- anywhere that does not involve planting. Where people, manufactured goods, artistic products and drugs come from. From Full Metal Jacket-- "When I rotate back to the world..."

TRAINING
I would suggest watching the Fit to Plant training videos. Replant.ca has a really interesting planting training video, but it might currently be unavailable due to bandwith limitations.

MISCELLANEOUS
Finally, to get in the mood and settings, Fuck This Place, a nine-minutes video on treeplanting for Wildwoods (by all accounts, an excellent company) in High Level, Alberta. When I started planting 5 years ago, I thought High Level referred to the intensity of the contract, but it's actually the name of a Northern Alberta town. Yet, it is also the intensity of most of the various contracts surrounding town.

Poundermix: A treeplanting reggae song.

I'll try to edit this post a few times within the next days to add more content as I find it. Hope it will be useful.

Tree-planting Gear Lists

When it comes to what to bring to camp, every planter is different. Obviously, there's the basics; a tent, a sleeping bag, some planting bags, a shovel, etc, but one person's essentials might be futile space waste to others.

Of course, you will have to consider your employer's requirements and make sure to bring every item on their mandatory list (specific equipment, protective gear, etc.), no matter how trivial you might think it is, and even if you heard comments from fellow planters about how you won't actually use the said items during the season. If you fail to bring the mandatory stuff, you might not be allowed to plant. Also, the area and type of land where you plant could have an influence on a few items that might come handy. Don't hesitate to ask your foreman/crewboss if you have any questions.

Then, you'll have to think about what might be essential to your comfort for the upcoming months in the bush (as a rookie, there will be hits and misses, your first day off will allow you to get most of the additional stuff you need) and, of course, about the packing space available. A simple rule of thumb, if you can't bring all your belongings by yourself in one trip over a short distance, you might have too much.

Treeplanting might be considered as environmentally friendly by many (whether it's the case or not is a different subject), but individual planters and treeplanting camps produce huge amounts of waste, including plenty of stuff that is left behind or ends up in a landfill when the contract ends. If some planters will start the season with an overabundance of personal items, others will simply accumulate things over time, buying (or finding...or stealing) articles varying from forgotten must-haves to trivial novelty items (among others, I've seen old bikes, sofas and a trift store three-piece suit...). A sign of our overconsumption or just a funny habit to collect silly stuff? Probably both.

So, as everybody's needs are different, and to offer a variety of choices, options and a slight idea of what you should be expected to bring, I browsed the web for many examples of gear lists. Up to you to find the one that suits you, mix them up or dress your own list.

-Tree-planter.com's list, available as a PDF document.

-Scooter's gear list at replant.ca.

-Nataram's equipment list.

-Bruin Reforestation's version of the list.

-Fellow planter and replant forum member Skibum's gear list, available as a google document.

-Greg Geir's 41 Things to Bring Planting, as featured in Tree Planting Online's gear section.

I'll post my own list shortly. It's basically the same, but I'm relatively minimalist and I'll justify my choices and provide notes on the utility (and actual necessity) of the items.

Slowly Awakening...

While some places on the Pacific Coast, in British-Columbia, are starting their season, for most tree-planters, this period means the first crew emails about contracts and camp information, what to expect for the rookies and a few online forms to fill.

For others, like me, it means updating all my management training, sending driving records and various licences and certification. Getting in touch with regional managers and camp supervisors, getting details on how contract negotiations are going, what to expect as far as camp management will be concerned.

All are slowly waking up to face the upcoming shitstorm. Getting a few hints of what's to come, and getting ready to make it worth the personal investment. Time to get slowly back in shape, time to get more information on what we signed up for. Slowly at first, then more and more time will be spent on the matter.

For others, finally, they are starting to look for a job. There's still openings, but most are hiring veterans only. If you'd still like to try your luck, the best place is probably Scooter's job market at replant.ca's forums.

As for me, been busy, but I do start to smell the dust, bug repellent, diesel, mud, forest, cook shack and sweat that will be part of my next season in Saskatchewan and Alberta.

My shopping list for the upcoming season...

Here's the items I'll need for the season. Some are general treeplanting lifestyle articles, others are more specific to my duties as tree-runner.

-Boots (My suggestion: Try an army surplus)
-A new tent (Do not hesitate to spend some extra bucks on quality)
-A decent mattress (Had none last year and I didn't suffer, but then, I slept half the season in someone else's tent, with quite a comfy mattress...
-Sunglasses (Go for relatively cheap ones. Like everything else, you'll go through them...)
-Quad Goggles (Not quite a must-have, but it might be useful if your job involves a lot of quadding in dirt/rain/bugs, and it looks cool, or I'd like to think so)
-A new leatherman multi-purposes tool
-A new animal hat (A tradition)
-An iTrip for plugging the iPod in the truck (Highly helpful when driving long hours alone)
-Probably an extra pair of pants
-Work gloves
-Rain/Wind jacket
-Traction-aids (A big maybe, most won't fit or work for huge pick-up trucks, but if I find something good, it might potentially be a big time saver...)



I think that's about it. Will add stuff if it comes to mind...

Looking for a Tree-Planting Job?

*** UPDATED FOR THE 2009 SEASON ***

You are looking for a treeplanting job this season? Are you experienced?

Sadly, if you're not, it's not the best time to get in, as the future of the industry is looking grim.

If you're looking for a Coastal job, be sure to check this post.

It's still possible to get a job, but due to the forestry industry's problems, many reforestation companies are diminishing their operations due to less contracts, bidding lower on the contracts they won or they'll simply plainly fold for the upcoming season. Therefore, there's more experienced planters to be hired for less interesting jobs and potential first time planters have to look more and accept less interesting offers in order to secure a job.

If they'll hire rookies at all, most companies will accept references from their current planters, so contacts are the key. This is especially valid on the Coast in British-Columbia, but it spreads elsewhere. Ontario might be your best chance.

It's doesn't mean you have to abandon if you're really motivated to get in, just that you'll have to knock at a lot of doors, and very often at the same ones!

If you apply on a website or by email, your application form might be queued while they are sorting and filling their last positions, so it will be important to remind them often that you're interested..

I'd suggest hitting replant.ca's job-market message board, as there is many foremen/crewbosses looking to fill some spots in their crews, as well as some companies hiring (by posting their job offerings there, they have better chances to hire veterans). Most are looking for experienced planters, but I've seen many messages open to rookies or not specifying. You could also try the featured companies section on tree-planter.com, but the chances of securing a job are less likely as most company info refers to their websites and/or their normal hiring process.

There is chances that any currently available positions will go to returning vets who didn't yet decide whether to go back to the bush or not. Your only chance would be as a replacement for any last-minute withdrawal, and in order to secure such a job, you will need to get on the waiting lists and show your determination by constantly reminding any potential employers and hirers that:

1) You exist.
2) You would be the best choice for the job.
3) You need money and it is your sole motivation, but you can deal with the lifestyle and the hard work.

Also, accept that nothing you have ever done will prepare for a treeplanting job, even what seems to be a similar experience (sports, landscaping, outdoors activities and jobs, the military), but don't let it stop you from stating such experiences.

As for the companies' reputation, I'd suggest doing a little investigation. Canadiantreeplanting.com used to be the best site for this kind of info, but it's been down for quite a while and it seems doubtful it will ever be back in full force. You might try the company forum on replant.ca and ask around (cross your fingers).

For additional info about getting hired, you might need to look at this tip page and/or this McGill University handout. Websites such as Hardcore Treeplanters and Treeplanting Online are also very good resources for general information about the job.

As said before, take your chance if you're a rookie, but expect to be on a waiting list and don't stop there, knock on every door!

Hurry up, get your shit together and good luck!