Tree Planting

It seems like whenever I talk to someone about what I’ve done for the summer or why I don’t work during the school year people are fascinated with tree planting. Everyone seems to have so many questions about this work and everyone either knows someone who tried it or knows someone who made a lot of money from it. I’ll try and describe what goes on day to day.

The typical tree planting season in BC starts on the coast in February and slowly moves its way east throughout the spring and summer. Many BC planters pick up contracts in Alberta or Quebec for the summer months.

Tree planting is all about the money! Don’t thank me for reducing global warming or saving the environment. That’s not really why people tree plant (I’m sure there’s exceptions). The people that I have known who plant are mostly doing it to pay off student loans, support a recreational addiction (ie skiing) or to reap the rewards of employment insurance.

It’s hard work, all I do all day is plant trees. That it. Sometimes when it’s hot out I sit at the cache for too long, but you have to remember that when you’re sitting you aren’t making any cash. Tree planters get paid per tree so the harder you work the bigger the payoff. It’s quite an attractive model for the really money hungry. The typical day starts at 7am and should end at 5 but often goes later. The goal is around $300. Some days you make less, some days you make more but the work is so hard that about how much you want to earn.

We work in crews of 6 – 20 people with the crewboss managing all the planters, making sure there’s lots of trees to plant and lots of land to plant them in.

We get cooked for! This is incredible, our cooks work extremely hard and deserve every penny they make. Breakfast is served at 7 consisting of eggs, pancakes, sausages, and all sorts of other goodies. If you’re smart you’ll make your lunch first before the lunch table gets raided and then focus on breakfast. When you get back from work that day, dinner should be ready and you can chow down. I eat more during the planting season than the rest of the year combined.

We work in the rain! Not just rain, but hail, snow heat, anything else. It does not matter what mother nature is throwing out that day it’s all coming down on you.

Now if you’re a rookie tree planter with a job lined up for next year I already know what you’re thinking. “I’m gonna plant so many trees and make so much money it’s gonna break records”. I’ve got some unfortunate news for you, there will be replanting! You’ll hate the checker, it seems impossible to plant as fast as the “vets” on your crew and you will start to get discouraged. Don’t let it get to you! Every single rookie out there gets better, that’s just the way it is. Keep planting and you will get better and better and the work will be easier and easier.