A Tree Planter’s Reference Guide to Silviculture in Western Canada.

As viewed on www.replant.ca

This guide was partially written and edited by Jonathan Clark, with numerous contributions from other sources. Some of the information contained within this manual is purely personal opinion, while other information is based on knowledge provided by a number of sources within the industry, some of whom can unfortunately no longer be identified. My apologies to anyone who directly or indirectly provided material for this manual whom I did not (or could not) specifically thank by name.

Please feel free to copy and redistribute the information in this manual. All that I ask is that you make reference to the website (www.replant.ca) that it came from. This manual was designed to introduce new employees to the basics of reforestation, and to further educate experienced planters. The more people that read this, the better it will be for them, and for the industry in general. This revision: May 12^th, 2003.

A Brief History of Planting in Canada

Trees have been planted since the turn of the century in Canada, but only in the last couple of decades has planting begun to take place on anything resembling today’s scale. In the early 1900’s, reforestation was minimal. The forests were seemingly endless and professional opinion was that tree planting was largely uneconomic. The first plantations in the province of British Columbia were established in about 1930, and it wasn’t until 1941 that the cumulative total trees planted surpassed ten million.

In a 1956 royal commission report, the Honourable Gordon Sloan found that the seven million trees planted on the coast in 1955 were totally inadequate. Furthermore, almost all of the trees planted were a single species, Douglas Fir. He suggested an annual planting program of 38.4 million seedlings to meet current reforestation needs as well as reclaim the backlog NSR (non-sufficiently reforested) land on the coast. Sloan’s recommended program never took place, however, and by 1965, planting had increased to only about eighteen million trees for the entire province. In that year, a more specific target was adopted. It was estimated that one third of the acreage logged would require planting, which at the level of logging at the time, implied a need for seventy-five million seedlings annually. The rallying cry became “75 by 75”, standing for a target of 75 million seedlings to be planted by 1975. While this, theoretically, would take care of current reforestation, it did not address the backlog.

This time, total planting came close to the target with 62 million seedlings planted in 1975. But in the meantime, the goal posts had changed - more area was being harvested annually and the backlog was still ever-present. In his 1976 Royal Commission report, Dr. Peter Pearse noted that, “Professional foresters have expressed much concern in recent years about the ‘backlog’ of unstocked lands.” He reported the total NSR in the province to be 3.9 million hectares, of which about ten percent was estimated to be backlog NSR on good and medium sites. Pearse did not propose a specific program, other than to state that, “... provisions must be made to ensure the establishment of new crops on lands denuded by logging or fire.”

The first program to include funds to specifically tackle the backlog NSR was a $50 million federal-provincial funding agreement that ran from 1979 to 1984. However, because there was insufficient funding for basic silviculture, the backlog continued to grow, with additions outpacing reductions.

By 1980, the environmental movement was gaining momentum and the reforestation issue was becoming commonly reported in the news media. In 1980, there were over ten major articles related to this matter in the Vancouver and Toronto newspapers. Public concern seemed to diminish, however, when the severe recession of the early 1980’s took control of the headlines.

The fact that the backlog was continuing to grow was confirmed in a 1984 Forest and Range Resource Analysis carried out by the Ministry of Forests. By the end of the decade, public concern returned to a very high level. In a 1989 poll, 82% of British Columbians responded that too few trees were being planted. In a 1991 poll, sixteen percent of those sampled on an ‘unaided’ basis stated reforestation as the forest management issue of greatest concern, second only to the issue of clear-cutting. While not necessarily a critical issue on which the election was decided, reforestation was a key topic in the election platforms during the 1991 provincial election.

Today, the matter of inadequate reforestation in British Columbia seems to be a non-issue. Poll results in 1994 indicated that only seven percent of British Columbians felt reforestation to be the most important environmental issue facing B.C. at the time. Clearly, there have been dramatic changes in public opinion regarding reforestation.

Although critics of tree planting have found numerous problems with reforestation practices, such as inappropriate monocultural stocking, inappropriate species selection, faulty planting codes, etc., the regulations and practices of planting continue to evolve as forest administrators and scientists gather new information about what works and what doesn’t. Trees are now better grown and chosen for their destined site, better planted, and better tended once in the ground than ever before. Of course, this makes our job as planters more difficult.

What to Expect When Planting

A tree planting season starts for most people in late April or early May. May is all about frosty mornings, cool rain (or cold snow), and lots of enthusiasm. By mid-June, however, things are heating up and after thirty days of planting, most people are starting to talk about time off. Most planting camps work four to six days “on,” then one day off. You will undoubtedly have four or five days off per month due to unexpected downtime (vehicle hassles, snowstorms, frozen trees, etc.) and moving camp. When this happens, don’t complain. At other times, you will be wishing you had more free time. The trick is to bite the bullet, and take advantage of planting when it’s available. By the end of June, most people either want or would be well advised to take a week to ten days off and recover before summer work.

There are three basic types of accommodation. The first (and most common) is the bush camp. You live in your personal tent, and the contractor provides a mess tent, showers (if you’re lucky), meals and transportation into town once a week for time off. Most planters prefer the comfort of logging camps or hotels, but a well-run bush camp is a nice location is a great way to spend a few months. Bush camps are always more sociable than cabins or hotels, and more laid back.

Second, there is the logging camp. You stay in logging trailers, which come complete with one or two beds per room, hot showers and running water, laundry facilities, a heated mess hall, and often TV. The advantages are comfort, but often at the expense of higher camp costs.

Finally, there is hotel accommodation, or staying in guest cabins in wilderness resorts. Usually, you buy and cook your own food, or some eat in a nearby restaurant, depending on what arrangements the contractor has been able to work out. Depending on the size of the room, your roommates, and their habits and cooking skills, this can either be a great or a horrible experience.

You are charged camp costs, which are generally around $25 per day (GST extra) in bush camps, $25-45/day in logging camps, and $10-20/day in hotels (with no food included). Camp costs theoretically cover the cost of meals and paying the cook, the use of facilities (such as showers or the occasional TV), and transportation to the work site and to town (of course, the actual cost to provide all this is invariably quite a bit higher than the camp costs you pay, but your company subsidizes the rest out of overhead, or the tree price).

What you eat depends mostly on your cook. Most planting companies now offer vegetarian or vegan food (Folklore included, generally), but vegetarians and vegans should beware - a cook making dinner for forty other people may not have the energy to devote to a top-of-the-line vegetarian dish for three people. No matter what, you should get lots of food. If you don’t, there is a serious problem with the cook or the company, and you should let your foreman or supervisor know immediately. If you have allergies to anything, tell the cook. If the food sucks, or you want something, ask the cook (or assistant) about it - usually there are very valid reasons why an experienced cook will stay away from certain dishes, but occasionally it is just a lack of knowing that there would be an interest. Remember that most cooks take enormous pride in what they do, and if anything, they want to make the menu more varied, but may complain that they don’t know what planters want.

The Daily Routine

You will wake up between five and six, get dressed, and stumble into the mess tent. A huge breakfast awaits you, which you will have difficulty forcing down. Breakfast is a critical meal!! Although a large number of planters will want to skip this meal, the energy you get from a strong breakfast will be critical in ensuring a productive day. After you’ve finished eating (or even before you eat, because some smart people get up early to get the best selection for their lunches), you make your lunch from materials provided by the cook: sandwiches, granola, cookies, fruit, juice, vegetables, trail mix, candy, etc. Then you pile into your transportation (usually a crew cab or a van) and head off to the block. On site, you grab your planting bags, load up with trees, grab your shovel, and head out to your piece of land. After nine or ten hours, you return to camp, where you can wash up and then eat a huge meal.

After dinner, it’s all up to you. Guitars appear, smokes are lit, letters get written, and there’s lots of conversation. The smart planters will be in bed asleep by nine o’clock, to get a good rest for a productive day starting the next morning.

On nights off, usually every five or six days, you quit planting anywhere between noon and 4pm (usually depending on the state of the block you’re on, and the distance from camp to town), go back to camp, grab your laundry and clean clothes, and head into town. Town has a laundromat, restaurant, liquor store, bar, and hotel, and for some planters, the typical routine is to drink as much as possible as quickly as possible and make a fool of himself or herself, including vomiting, getting kicked out of bars, getting beaten up by local red-necks, getting arrested, etc. Experienced planters following this routine will always agree that they want to go back to work as soon as possible, to recover from the day off. However, not all planters like to drink, and some spend their day off actually relaxing at the library, swimming, etc.

A couple times per season, great nights off (which means the night before the day off) happen in camp: a huge fire, crates of beer, somebody’s guitar or radio, lots of smokes, etc. These truly will be the best nights of your life. Just don’t get too drunk and pass out in the bushes, only to wake up to find a bear trying to drag you off by your pant legs (this actually happened to a planter in a Waterside camp we were partying in, but luckily, no injuries resulted).

The Actual Planting

I have heard that planting is rated by Manpower Canada (or whatever their current title is) as the toughest job, both mentally and physically, that anyone can do in Canada. You will plant in all kinds of weather, from rain and snow to thirty-five degree heat. The work itself involves strapping on planting bags full of trees, which weigh from twenty to forty pounds, grabbing a shovel, and covering your land, planting seedlings about two to three metres apart from each other. Planting techniques vary from site to site. In most of BC, sites are not “prepared” for planting, so the planter has to climb over slash, stumps, and other obstacles, and “screef” (clear away) debris from the mineral soil with a shovel before planting the tree. Some BC planting, and a lot of Alberta planting, is done on site-prepped land, where machines clear debris away from the soil. This makes planting easier, but of course, also lowers the tree price to the planter. The planter is responsible for covering his/her assigned piece of land, planting the correct density and sufficient quality, and using the proper techniques in planting and handling seedlings. You plant as quickly or as slowly as you want, and when you are out of trees, you head back to the cache to get more, and maybe even grab some water or a quick snack. Hopefully you’ll plant quickly, since you are paid by commission – the more trees you plant properly, the more money you make. You’ll see your foreman a couple of times per day, and if you plant improperly, you have to replant or fill-in previously planted area, which is a frustrating waste of time and money. Planters must achieve a minimum specified quality (we’ll go into this later).

Mornings are usually cold. Once you’re at the block, you’ll have to get out of a warm vehicle, and bag up with wet seedlings into a heavy, damp set of planting bags. Soon (maybe) the sun will come out, the temperature heats up, and the bugs come out. You can, if you wish, use DEET-based repellents to combat mosquitoes, black flies, horseflies, gnats, and “no-see-ums”. You’ll get very thirsty and hungry. Towards the end of the day, you’ll be tired and maybe bored. If the planting goes well, you’ll be happy. If you have to replant, or your land is lousy, you will get frustrated or happy (you should realize that some bad land (and maybe some replanting, depending on your quality) is inevitable in some respects. The foreman will hopefully try to spread the good and bad land out evenly, or at least, if someone gets obvious preferred treatment for a day or so, there should be an obvious reason for it. Rain or cold may affect you, but remember, there’s always beauty everywhere - even on clear cuts - from the views of mountains to flowers to animals to the sexy planter in the next piece of land who’s taken his/her shirt off. At the end of the day, everyone puts their equipment away under tarps (a general rule is never to leave seedlings in your planting bags overnight), and you grab your knapsack and head down to the trucks. Everybody stinks of sweat, the van is generally filthy, and people are happy. Even if you’ve had a bad day, at least it’s over. You give your foreman your numbers for the day, and probably fall asleep on the drive back to camp. Hopefully the driver doesn’t.

Planting feels like different things to different people. I personally find it to be “like meditation, without thinking.” Once I’ve bagged up and put the first ten trees in the ground, it usually feels like I’m bagging out about two minutes later. When I’m done my bag-up, I have no idea what I’ve thought about for the past hour or so, but then again, I don’t remember my dreams either. Some people find planting an exciting, competitive type of racing activity, while others find it frustrating, boring, or physically exhausting.

Successful planting involves a number of things. I define a “successful” planter as a high income planter ($200/day for a veteran, $150/day for a rookie) who enjoys his/her job (as much as it is possible to enjoy planting), and plants adequate quality trees, while making minimal demands on the foreman and other planters around him/her.

Happiness is important. Spending ten hours by yourself in barely tolerable physical conditions is a bad way to deal with relationship hassles, depression, existential questions, grief, etc. Unhappiness also slows you down, because it detracts from your focus. All I can say about this is, “become happy”. You have no choice. And if you can’t make yourself happy, learn to enjoy misery. Some people do very well as tree planters, because they thrive on other peoples’ misery. When people around them are miserable, they cheer up. It’s a crazy world.

A second consideration is focus/motivation. The successful planter usually does not wear a Walkman or plant with a “talking” friend. He or she works alone, quietly, and pays close attention to the work. If they are working with a partner, it is one with whom they are familiar and get along with, and the pair will work together to cover the land as efficiently as possible. To be successful, this will probably include some (a minimum amount of) verbal communication. I worked with one partner for months who was good at “schnarb” (bad sections with lots of slash and obstacles) while I was relatively better at faster land, so whenever we hit a new piece, he would head for the bad areas, I would head for the good stuff, and we would split our tallies on the piece. It worked out great for both of us - we both worked hard, shared our responsibilities, and didn’t complain about “unfair advantages.” We were both happy to receive equal tallies because we worked as a team.

A third concern is physical health. You have to drink, eat, sleep, and wear sufficient clothing. Being tired, miserable, sore, hungry, and/or thirsty are really good ways to slow yourself down. In the short run, it is easy to skimp on sleep and food, but stress is cumulative: you will get burned out more quickly if you don’t take care of yourself.

Who Should Go Planting?

Physical fitness is important. Excellence in aerobic ability and excellence in brute muscular strength are unnecessary, however, endurance and stamina are key strengths. Tree planting sucks energy out of you. You have to be able to develop the ability to keep working steadily. You cannot easily train for planting (unfortunately) unless maybe you spend three weeks before the season starts, hiking for two or three hours per day with a twenty pound knapsack on. You use so many different muscle groups when planting that it is simply impossible to emulate that training artificially.

The only truly successful planters are those who have a desperate need for cash. You should not go planting for the experience, to see the world, or to meet people, and you should especially NOT go planting to save the environment, or to be with a boyfriend/girlfriend. Most experienced foremen will NOT hire avid environmentalists or boy/girl combinations (unless both of the planters are experienced).

The ability to learn is another key asset. Be open-minded and analytical. Tree planting, contrary to what some people believe, is NOT a mindless job. In fact, it is one of the most intellectually demanding jobs there is, which is why veteran planters do better than rookies. It takes time to learn. Even if you read, memorize and think about every bit of information that I can give you, there will still be hundreds of implicit things that you have to learn as a rookie, that ‘cannot’ be taught - ie. what types of vegetation usually grow on dirt patches vs. rock patches, how to know where to plant your shovel to find dirt, etc. Not only do you have to watch yourself, but you have to watch others and learn, and ask your foreman for advice. If you have a good foreman, he or she will also be a good planter, and a truly good foreman knows that time invested in the training of planters is rewarded in the long run, many times over.

Anybody can eventually become a good planter, with concentration and determination. All it takes is drive, focus, and the ability to learn from yourself and others. You will not be successful unless you constantly and actively try to improve your planting skills.

Who Should NOT Go Planting?

Anybody with a history of back, arm, knee, ankle, or neck problems should not go planting. Planting places enormous physical stress on the body and WILL aggravate old injuries, often making them even harder to deal with.

Anybody under emotional stress should not go planting. If you have relationship hassles, depression, some kind of an existential crisis, if you’re in mourning, etc., the bush is the worst possible place to deal with it.

Anyone recovering from a long-term illness should not go planting. The physical stress of planting will usually break down your immune system and bring back the illness. Even the healthiest folk, toward the end of a two-month stint, get sick easily.

People who consider themselves to be “fat” should not plant trees. I'm not kidding. However, having said that, you can certainly be well-built, and as long as you have a healthy physique, you can still do very well at planting. I have had numerous planters over the years each weighing in the 220-250 pound range. The trick is to have the physique to go with it. Successful planters eventually realize that efficiency and technique are very important factors in their success. If you weigh significantly more than the average Joe on the Street, you should ask yourself this question: "Will I be comfortable with working steadily in adverse temperature conditions, walking over heavy slash up and down the side of steep mountains, bending down to put a tree in the ground several thousand times, for 8-10 hours per day?" If you can honestly answer yes to this question, your weight will probably not be a significant consideration. At this point, I should mention that most heavy-set persons who plant hard for a summer will end up losing 25-40 pounds. Even lightweight persons will usually lose 15-25 pounds. Unfortunately, a season in the bush should not be considered a substitute for a “weight loss” program. Most people who lose the weight in the bush gain it back within a few months after the season has ended.

Some Common Myths About Planters

“The best tree planters are big people.”

Not True. Although very short people, on some blocks, will have trouble climbing through slash, size is irrelevant (unless you’re quite heavy, which can be a bit of a drawback in some respects, as mentioned above).

“Tree Planters are insane, partying animals.”

Partly True. In general, the younger the crowd, the more boozing. However, better planters often tend to be older, and know the physical wear and tear of booze. Where the night off at some companies will be a beer-fest that ends with somebody trying to drive a truck into a laundromat or steal a skidder, there are other crews that will sit back in hotel rooms, watch movies, and play chess. Alcohol will rob you of sleep and rest, and drugs tend to unfocus most peoples’ minds. These will affect your production in the long run. Then again, a raging night off in the bars, or a few joints and a movie, can sometimes make a bad week easier to forget!

“Tree Planting is Boring.”

Not Necessarily True. This depends on the person. Deep and intense focus on something makes time fly. Planting is no exception. Some people find it boring, so they plant with partners, use drugs, wear a Walkman, or do whatever it takes to make them happy. I generally find that after a box of trees, I have no idea what I’ve been thinking about for the past hour.

“Tree Planters are [insert stereotype here]”.

You can fill in the blank for whatever stereotype you are thinking of. There are lots of stereotypes about what kind of person goes planting. In general, many of them can be true. The old saying, “birds of a feather flock together” often applies ... crews frequently seem to be made up of similar type of people.

Where Should I Work, and How Much Can I Make?

The main reason anybody goes planting should be for the money. If you are dumb enough to want to go just for the experience, or to see the outdoors, there are many better ways to see the outdoors (go hiking in a national park). Build health clinics in Costa Rica or pick coffee in Kenya if you want to work hard and don’t care how much money you are going to earn.

A common question is, “How much will I make during a planting season?” But a far better question is, “How much will I clear after camp costs, equipment, living expenses, etc.” A benchmark wage for EXPERIENCED planters who concentrate on making money rather than partying, should be about $200/day, after camp costs. Over the course of a season, experienced planters should be able to make this much, on average. However, this number hides the real picture: an experienced planter needs to aim for $225-240 on the full days, to make up for half days, bad land, moves, and quality hassles which will cut your average down. If you are lucky, you will have a foreman and/or supervisor who is very skilled and dedicated to ensuring that the crew always has sufficient land and trees to keep everybody working for full days. You should try to talk to some experienced returning planters to tell you how the previous year went - a general guide to a company would be about one third of a crew (based on a distribution of half vets and half rookies) averaging $200+/day. My current company tries to bid prices with the goal of having the average planter make about $175 per day. But of course, experienced planters often make more than this, and inexperienced planters usually make less.

Rookies should expect to average about $120 per day for their first six to eight week season. This is mainly due to four weeks of learning curve time. If you are a first year planter, you may as well accept the fact now that essentially, you are not going to make any money for the first three weeks. Write that period off as a “learning experience” or training time. A rookie who plants in the summer season (after a full spring) should aim for a $150/day average. Almost without exception, planters only “make money” in the summer after their first spring, or in second and subsequent seasons. Therefore, a hard-working rookie with a decent season of fifty to seventy planting days might expect to gross about $4500-6000 in their first full year (after camp costs but before expenses such as camping and planting equipment), and experienced planters might expect to gross $8,000-10,000 before expenses, or even more with long seasons working for decent camps in decent companies.

Expenses are a key consideration. There is no point in earning $10,000 in a summer, if you spend $9,000 to do it. Camp costs can add up quickly (Folklore’s camp costs last year were $25.00/day plus GST). This means that over a long sixty day planting season, you can pay as much as $1,500 in camp costs – but then again, if it is any consolation, it usually costs your company significantly more than that to provide the services, equipment, and food that it does. Nights in town are also expensive. Figure about $100 per night off to cover food, hotel, laundry, treats, equipment, etc., unless you go out drinking, in which case you should double this figure. In other words, budget about $1500-$2500 for living expenses, unless you are frugal and sleep in your car on the side of the road, and eat at grocery stores rather than restaurants on the days off. Finally, add on about $500 for a full set of planting gear, and another $500 if you don’t have camping gear.

Well, as you can see, the expenses add up. In other words, you won’t make much as a rookie. If anything, you’ll break even, have an interesting time, and be keen to come back the next year for a big cash reward. To be truly successful, realize that the time you are putting in as a rookie is a form of “initiation,” and the big bucks go to those who can make it in the long haul. Don’t get me wrong - some rookies do all right in their first year, but many do not. The best way to maximize your take-home pay is to watch your day-off spending. DO NOT go drinking every week. Share a hotel room. Don’t phone your significant other for long periods of time (say that you’ve only got five minutes before the trucks leave for the woods, or make up some sort of similar excuse). Cut down on food expenses. Make a big lunch on the day before your day off, and take it to town with you. Buy used equipment. Stay Away From Bars!! (and this advice comes from a bar manager).

Most people say that the worst place to plant is Ontario. They obviously do not know about the Maritimes. However, Ontario planting, in general, is reputed to be much less lucrative than BC planting. Essentially, this is because the real price per tree has been dropping since the mid 1980’s. This is because the number of trees being planted in that province has dropped from 100 million per year ten years ago to less than sixty million trees per year at present. Too many contractors chasing too few trees means that the only part of the bid price that can really change (the planter’s price) will drop over time. Of course, there have been price pressures in both Alberta and BC over the past decade too.

Ontario planting is a high-speed game. You need to put in an average of over 2500 trees/day to make even $200, and the checking is not that relaxed. The price per tree is virtually the same in every part of Ontario. This means that sandy trenches and rocky swamps will both pay eight cents. Finding a good contract is purely luck. If the company is even slightly disorganized, or the access is bad, your on-site time will fall, as will your earnings. The Ontario burn-out factor which comes from planting vast numbers every day will also take its physical and mental toll. In Ontario, only the best land is realistically priced and everything else is just misery. Big companies can afford to bid tightly on contracts. If the planters whine, they can fire the complainers, and bring in more people (who need the work) to finish the job. This is why the highest-income planters in Canada refuse to work in Ontario and instead work for either small Kootenay or coastal companies, or for the better crews in mid-sized interior operations.

Alberta planting is generally flat and high-speed. There are lots of contracts that are real speed-shows. Horrible, horrible bugs and brutal access and mud (long drives and walk-ins) are the norm, but if you like fast land, this is definitely where to be.

British Columbia, because of the higher skill required to plant there and because of the variability of terrain, remains (in my opinion) the best and highest-income planting. Prices are less unrealistic there than elsewhere. Much of the best planting in BC is on the Coast, where the insane slash and terrain make planting a form of art, with the ability to make better wages. The Coast is where a determined planter can really clean up. However, don’t even think about getting a Coastal job unless you’ve got at least three to five years of solid Interior experience, or great connections. I would advise planters that a three-month BC season with a small or mid-sized company would give you the greatest chances of making a decent income. Forget Ontario or the Maritimes, unless you live there and only want six weeks of work.

General Equipment Overview/Job Description

The following is a very general summary of equipment needed, duties required, jobs performed, work methods, etc.

Equipment:

Good boots - preferably leather/rubber, safety footwear.

Hat - to protect from sunstroke.

Insect repellent.

Hand cream.

Small pack or bag for lunch and rain gear.

Rain gear (full suit).

Gloves.

Sun screen.

Loose fitting clothes.

Tent, sleeping bag.

(More details later in book).

Duties:

Help erect/dismantle camp when needed (cook house, shower, toilets, etc.).

Erect storage and shelters for trees.

Slurry trees if required.

Care of trees.

Loading/unloading tree boxes into trucks, choppers, etc.

Carry a plot cord at all times.

Set up and maintain fire equipment.

Camp Site:

Keep clean, neat, and tidy.

When leaving, fill in all pits, etc.

Open fires only allowed at certain times.

Garbage must be removed on an ongoing basis.

Prohibited Actions:

No smoking on blocks.

No fires except those pre-approved in camp.

No pruning of roots or culling (destruction) of trees.

Stashing will result in termination.

Never leave tree boxes exposed to sunlight.

Tallies/Payment:

Keep records of trees planted on a daily basis.

Understand how foreman verifies this information.

Take box ends as proof.

NEVER take box end until empty - ALWAYS leave name on partial boxes.

Retain all box ends for payment confirmation.

Report excess trees/bundles immediately.

Box and Garbage Disposal:

Boxes neatly crushed and piled.

Garbage thrown in garbage box/bag.

No plastic bundle wrappers or orange peels left on ground.

Always remove ALL garbage when block is finished.

Planting Equipment:

Standard D-handle planting shovels (should have two).

Planting bags with three inserts. Planters should ensure their inserts are shiny,

new looking, and have working drawstrings to keep them closed.

3.99 metre clothesline plot cord.

2 rolls of flagging tape.

Medium sized (about 8' x 12') silvicool tarp. Every planter must bring one.

Etiquette:

Never cut off another planter.

Do not take only the good (cream) sites.

Flag areas when necessary to assist other planters.

Always finish your area before moving to another.

Work the area in a logical and systematic manner - don't do the good sections

first, expecting others to help with hard areas. Try to do areas with harder

access first (ie. back pieces).

Punctuality: be on time - DON'T hold up other crew members.

If you see a mistake (ie. double plant, missed area, dropped trees) in another

planter's area, make sure it is corrected. Each planter's quality affects

the entire crew.

Plots/Quality:

Know how to take plots.

Always carry a plot cord.

Know how quality affects payment.

Know how excess affects payment.

Know how quality/excess are determined.

Areas will have to be reworked if quality is insufficient.

Planting faults:

Know what makes a tree bad.

J roots, cut roots, too shallow or deep, loose trees, air pockets, wet areas, not

in mineral soil, leaning trees, damage to seedlings, spacing too wide or

close, not properly screefed (microsite not cleared of debris).

Stock Handling/Tree Care:

Boxes must be kept moist and cool.

Boxes stored under reflective tarps in shade, NEVER sitting out in open. Cover

tarps with sufficient logs/rocks, etc. so wind cannot blow off.

Keep moist layer of peat moss or sponge in bags at all times.

First Aid:

Fill out forms: name, SIN, allergies, medications, etc.

Report all accidents/incidents immediately.

Know who your first aid attendant(s) are.

Planting Gear - Options and Suggestions

Materials

In order to plant bare-root and plug stock seedlings, the planter must first have the necessary equipment and the appropriate work clothes. The boots should be steel shanked to give protection against bruising of the bottom of your foot. Many planters wear caulks (pronounced corks) in order to achieve a better grip on slippery logs and to enhance boot screefing capabilities.

Rain gear is very important since planters work in both good and bad weather. A rain jacket and rain pants are both necessary. Investing a little extra in rain gear will pay off in the long run - it can be frustrating to miss a day of work (and lose $100 or more) because of sickness or cold due to inadequate rain gear.

To carry seedlings, the planter wears a set of planting bags. The number of bags varies (usually three). Essentially, the bags serve as a storage area for the seedlings, so the planter can carry a large number of trees at a time without going to refill at the seedling cache.

Insert bags are used in the planting bags to protect the seedling from heating up. They are made out of reflective material and must be closed at the top when full of trees, with the exception of your feeder bag/drawbag (the one currently in use). Wet moss or sponges must be kept in the bottom of these bags to keep the trees moist.

Personal tarps or “space tarps” (possibly called such because the silver lining makes them look like things from outer space) are made from reflective material and are used to cover your individual box of trees on the block. Boxes must be covered as specified at the pre-work conference. Rocks or logs can be used to keep the tarp from blowing off the box. A box of trees exposed to sunlight may result in a penalty to you or your crew. Note that the spring and summer seasons, because of differences in the ways that trees are delivered to the contractor, have different methods for tarping. Spring trees (over-wintered) are usually required to be completly covered and tucked in on all sides. Summer trees (hot-lifted) are usually required to have a tarp suspended a foot overhead, keeping sunlight off all parts of all boxes, and the boxes themselves must be opened, watered regularly, and have all trees standing up within the boxes. This is something that planters unloading a reefer frequently ignore, but the foreman and supervisor should always go through the load and ensure that absolutely all of the bundles are standing upright in the boxes.

Ribbon or flagging tape is used by planters to mark boundaries and is carried either in a pouch, in the planting bag, or in the planter's pocket.

A plot cord is an essential piece of planting equipment. Planters are not allowed to plant without one. The only way a planter can maintain proper spacing is by using the plot cord. This cord is 3.99 metres long and is made of rope, wire, chain, etc. (preferably clothesline).

The shovel is the major tool in planting and should be comfortable to use. The shovel should not be too long or too short. If the shovel is not comfortable, it will hinder the planter's production. There are three different types:

- The "D" handle is the most preferred handle used by planters in BC/Alberta.

- The "T" handle is similar, but not nearly as common.

- The straight handle should be used by planters feeling tightness in the wrist caused by repetition (commonly known as tenosynovitis, or tendonitus). It is used in rocky ground to cope with the shock of striking a rock when making a tree hole. There are also several different blade types for shovels:

- The standard tree planter shovel.

- The plug shovel, which has a shorter blade length.

- The spear, a narrower blade that is helpful when planting seedlings in rocky ground.

Now that you have a brief overview of some of the equipment required, let’s go into a bit more detail. It would be easy to write an entire book about the pros and cons of different equipment that is available. There are as many options as there are planters. This section will briefly give you something to think about, and some clothing suggestions. The tree planter works in all possible conditions. Accordingly, you will have to bring gear to the block with you that will deal with the three major problems: TEMPERATURE, RAIN, and BUGS.

Boots

Boots can generally be divided into two types: rubber and leather (or waterproof and not waterproof). To increase your comfort level with all boots, you should use insoles (wash them regularly), wear two or more pairs of socks, and buy boots big enough so that two pairs of socks and insoles fit well. Boots should not be too tight or loose.

Leather work boots, once broken in, are generally quite comfortable. They will last a long time if you clean them regularly and put shoe-wax on them. Clean them properly every day off (wipe off mud, etc.). If you buy leather boots, you MUST break them in before you go planting by wearing them around for a few weeks. If you don’t, you will be sorry (blisters, and maybe a few non-productive days). Leather boots will not keep your feet dry in the rain (although you can wear a baggie or bread bag between layers of socks on each foot). If you can get them cheap, army surplus cadet boots (with steel toe and sole) work well. Otherwise, buy CSA approved steel toe-and-shank (sole) work boots.

Leather hiking boots are the most comfortable footwear known to man. Once broken in, they are paradise for the feet. However, the tree planter will be doing some screefing with his/her feet, which will ruin good hiking boots very quickly. More modern forms of hiking boot, such as GoreTex or day hikers, are useless. GoreTex loses its water resistance when it gets dirty. Fancy designs with multiple panels of leather, plastic components, etc. will wear out very quickly. I would strongly advise against buying hiking boots for planting because they wear out too fast (unless you want a pair for just lounging around camp and town).

Rubber boots are great because they keep your feet dry, which is critical! There are several kinds of rubber boots available. Chainsaw boots are orange, with chainsaw matting over the shin. These have steel toe and shank, and are fairly heavy. Some people recommend that you avoid this type of boot, but I’ve worn them for all but one of my many seasons, and been happy. Don’t confuse rubber chainsaw boots with caulks – they look the same when someone is wearing them, but the small difference is that the “rubber boot” version has a rubber sole, while the caulked version obvious has the metal caulks on the bottom.

Lace-ups are a boot of choice for many BC planters. They are comfortable, easy to put on/take off, and available with or without caulks (pronounced “corks”). The best kind seems to be the Viking brand. You get what you pay for - these boots may not always last for a full spring and summer season. Don’t forget to buy extra laces. Rubber boots without laces, but with steel toe and shank, can also work well. They also last quite a while, and don’t cost too much. However, the fact that they don’t lace means you float around inside them, which is uncomfortable to some people.

Viberg boots are expensive ($200 and up), but to some planters (especially experienced planters who don’t mind spending the cash) they are well worth it: you get leather/rubber mix, superb quality, comfort, and durability. These are among the best work boots available.

Plastic boots are also available, with a number of brand names such as Koflach, Kastingers, or Scarpas. These are kind of like cut-off ski boots, and are light, warm, and fairly waterproof if worn with gaiters. The hefty price ($250-$400 or more) scares away many people, as it should. I would not recommend these for rookies, although some high-end planters may be better off with them, depending on their personal preference. You can also have a pair resoled to take caulks, which makes them a great boot.

About caulks: “corks” are little metal spikes that are found on the bottom of some boots. They are very useful if you are doing a lot of screefing with your feet (low priced land), or if you are on steep, wet ground with a lot of slash, to prevent you from slipping on logs. I would most strongly recommend boots with caulks to every planter. Bring a few dozen extra caulks (about fifteen cents each) and a wrench to the bush with you. Also, make sure you have a pair of hiking boots or runners for town use, because you’ll get yelled at if you try wearing caulked boots into most gas stations, convenience stores, etc.

Socks are also very important. Buy a dozen pairs of light polypropylene work socks, and a dozen pairs of wool/nylon blend thick work socks. The light ones obviously go on first, with the wool on the outside. This setup keeps you from getting blisters, and these types of socks keep your feet dry when you sweat, and are warm when wet. Cotton socks are useless because they stay wet and are cold when wet. When buying wool socks, try for an 80% wool and 20% nylon mix, which will last longer. Bama socks, or other types of polyethylene liners, are also excellent.

Planting pants need to do two things: keep sun and branches off your legs, and keep the bugs out. A light, baggy pair of cotton pants (or cotton long johns worn with breathable track pants or an old pair of shorts over top) works well in dry weather. Your pants will get destroyed in two months, so don’t buy expensive army surplus pants. Go to the Salvation Army and get the tackiest pair of used two-dollar pants you can find. For hot and bug-free days, a ragged pair of thigh-length shorts is nice. Some planters even wear shorts almost constantly, however, when I see the discomfort that they suffer with snow and bugs, and the multiple lacerations (which, when bleeding, attract the bugs even more), it makes me wonder about their general sanity.

As far as shirts are concerned, bring a couple of ratty white T-shirts and a baggy white cotton turtleneck. The T-shirts keep you cool, while a turtleneck (or any long-sleeved baggy work shirt) is good for keeping the bugs away. A heavy jacket is also useful for cold mornings at the start of May, and the end of August if you happen to be working that late in the season.

Bugs

The best way to deal with bugs is with clothing. Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and maybe a bug hat. DEET is evil and deadly stuff, and is an important ingredient in almost all bug repellents. Most spray type repellents only contain 15-30% DEET, whereas the little containers of liquid that you rub on your skin are generally 75% to 95% DEET. Muskol and Deep Woods in liquid are 95% DEET, and the most effective repellents. I swear by DEET, have used it in mass quantities for years, and would die without it, but then again, I’ll probably have mutant children someday. DEET can cause severe allergic reactions in some people, whereas in other instances it simply burns the skin, etc. DEET has also been known to melt plastic and parts of your planting equipment. Some people say that Skin-So-Soft and Citronella are effective. They are wrong – these products are only mildly effective against a limited range of flying insects.

The biggest problem with bugs is mental. Bugs can be just overwhelming if it is your first time up north. You can look up and see so many bugs directly above you during the day that they look thicker than stars in the sky when you’re out on the ocean. At the right time of year, you can look at a planter standing still on a landing and count literally hundreds of mosquitoes on their back, especially if they are wearing dark clothing. Some people are bothered more by the incessant buzzing than by the actual bites. Every person deals with them differently, though most just use lots of DEET, long clothing, and try to ignore the noise. People who have planted in Ontario tell horror stories about the bugs there. My worst experiences have been far up north, near Fort Nelson, BC, and Vermillion, Alberta, and also in northern Saskatchewan.

Bees, Wasps, and Hornets:

- Stings are painful and may cause an allergic reaction.

- Allergic reactions can be fatal in some cases.

- Be aware of potential nesting sites.

- Watch for swarms of insects, obvious nests, and nest entrances at the base of stumps and in fallen logs.

- Seek immediate treatment for all stings.

- Carry bee sting treatment swabs to reduce the pain of the sting.

- Ensure that a bee sting kit and antihistamines are available on site, or carried on your person if you know that you are allergic to stings.

- Inform your employer and the first aid attendant of known allergies.

Black Flies, Mosquitoes, and No-See-Ums:

- Bites can cause irritation.

- Multiple bites may cause swelling, particularly around the eyes and lips.

- Inhaling insects can cause discomfort.

- Use insect repellent.

- Keep shirts tightly buttoned.

- Close pant legs by tucking them into your socks, or by sealing them with tape.

- Use a mask to prevent inhalation of insects if they are present in swarms.

- Seek first aid for excessive swelling.

Deer and Horse Flies:

- Painful bites, can cause swelling.

- Use insect repellent.

- Keep shirts tightly buttoned.

- Close pant legs by tucking them into your socks, or by sealing them with tape.

- Seek first aid for excessive swelling.

- Some of these flies don’t seem to be bothered by DEET, and are most active during sunny, high-heat periods when other smaller flies give it a rest.

House Flies:

- Facilitate transfer of disease, particularly food borne diseases.

- Follow camp sanitation guidelines.

Ticks:

- The insect can become embedded in the skin, transferring disease or infection.

- Use insect repellent.

- Keep shirts tightly buttoned.

- Close pant legs by tucking them into your socks, or by sealing them with tape.

- Check yourself daily for ticks (especially in the folds of the skin, hair lines, the back of the neck, and the belt line).

- Seek first aid. Do not attempt to remove ticks by pulling or prying, as their heads will break off under your skin.

The Sunhat

The hat is an essential item. Without a sunhat, you are much more susceptible to getting a sunburn, sunstroke, tired, and miserable. On rainy days, it doubles in function by keeping some of the water out of your eyes (a ball cap is indispensable on rainy days if you wear glasses - and while I’m on the topic, as a wearer of both contacts and glasses for over ten years, I would advise that no one EVER wear contacts on the block, for first aid and health reasons). The best thing to use is a broad-brimmed cotton or canvas sunhat that is white, to keep the rain and sun out of your eyes and ears - baseball hats and bandannas are also acceptable. Keeping the sun out of your eyes reduces eyestrain and makes you less tired at the day’s end - this is important because planting with sunglasses is not feasible (you can’t see well into the holes that you are making).

Rain Gear

Bear in mind that when you are planting you cannot financially afford to sit in a warm van when nature gets wet, no matter how appealing it is. You therefore have to be able to continue to work, while trying to keep dry and warm. If you can’t stay dry, you still need to stay warm. Cotton clothes are cold when they get wet, so don’t wear them in the rain. Here is a good rain gear system:

- Louis Garneau polypro cycling tights - the durable, heavy-duty kind, not the softer Lycra version. Wear them with a pair of cutoffs over top to minimize chaffing from your planting bags, and to provide pockets. These are thicker than regular polypro underwear and resist tearing by branches and snags. They keep the black flies out, and the baggy cycling ass is useful to the planter who spends his or her whole day bending down to plant. These are about forty dollars at Mountain Equipment Co-Op, but well worth it. You can also use spandex or polypro underwear, but these will rip more easily. These can be worn on dry, cool days as well, with an old pair of cut-off thigh-length jeans over top.

- A shirt made of non-cotton materials such as polypro, LIFA, etc. Wool is great if you can stand the itching. Like the tights, this is warm when wet and dries quickly. You can use long underwear tops, cycling shirts, or outdoor shirts sold at Mountain Equipment or climbing stores.

- Reinforced rubber rain jacket and pants. The pants can have suspenders, or even better, a properly-fitting elastic waistband. The jacket should be tough, reinforced rubber. The heavier jacket is used when it rains very heavily; in light or occasional rain you can plant wearing only a polypro shirt and pants, which will dry in minutes. Other good heavy rain gear is PVC. If you buy rain gear, make sure it is reinforced. Straight plastic or rubber will shred within minutes of you getting out on the block. Good rain gear can cost over $100, but will last several seasons and will keep you dry and warm. Some planters like to use a heavy rubber poncho over a synthetic layer (and they accept the burden of constant wet feet), since this system allows considerable freedom of movement.

- Should I buy Gore-Tex type rain gear? Gore-Tex is the outdoor person’s miracle substance. However, its efficiency when planting is not certain, because planting tends to get you dirty, and dirty GoreTex does not work. GoreTex is also vulnerable to tearing by snags, etc. If you are planting in the Interior, or anywhere where there is infrequent rain, you might be able to use it. For coastal planting, forget it.

Miscellaneous

A water bottle is indispensable. You can drink as much as ten litres of water (or more) on hot days. Although it is possible to buy fairly inexpensive coolers (about $15-20) that hold a gallon of water and keep it moderately cool, planters can also consider bringing several old two litre plastic pop bottles. These are universally available, and very strong, to withstand bouncing around in the back of the truck. The only drawback with these is that once empty, someone else on the crew might throw it in the garbage. Planters should ALWAYS be aware of how much water they bring to the block. Although your foreman will try to get you more water if you run out during the day, it is often impossible to magically come up with additional fresh, clean water when on the block. If the rest of the crew is depending on the presence of the foreman to ensure that planting proceeds smoothly, he/she often cannot afford an hour-long trip to camp to get more. ALWAYS take more than you think you can use.

A pack is also essential for carrying all of your little treasures: duct-tape, boxtops, lunch, Tylenol, a knife, suntan lotion, extra flagging tape, a thermos, etc. Here’s a tip for using a thermos: pre-heat it by leaving a bit of hot water in it for five minutes. Dump this out and then add your coffee/tea/whatever. This can make a huge difference.

Planting Bags: You can buy these at Centre City Surplus in downtown Prince George, at Canadian Forestry Equipment in Edmonton, or Neville Crosby in Vancouver. Make sure that the waist belt fits, since it carries most of the weight. BushPro now sells an add-on thicker waist belt for their bags that I would recommend highly. If you buy used bags, make sure they aren’t ripped or frayed, and make sure the buckles close properly, and the belt and straps adjust. New bags are $50 to $70, used bags might cost $20 to $40. Avoid stiff-bottomed (tray-bottom) bags. Bags should have plastic clip-together buckles, not the older metal weave-through. Make sure that the part that will rub against your thighs does not have seams and protruding material that will irritate your skin and ruin pants.

The Shovel

Rookies should NOT buy a D-handle. I find this difficult to say, after going through over a dozen seasons of running a crew with almost entirely D-handles, but it is true. Staves (or staffs) are much better for your body, although their extra length sometimes makes them a major pain in the ass when dealing with helicopter blocks. The standard planting shovel has a tempered-steel blade (made by either Carrant or BushPro) that is about a foot long and between four and six inches wide. Shovels cost about $50-60 new, and if you see new ones for much less, avoid them because they will break when you are hundreds of miles from your nearest hardware store. Many foremen will buy an extra third shovel in order to have a backup to sell to a crew member, in case one breaks while in the bush. Some planters will even bring along a second shovel, to be safe. The cost of having an extra shovel ($50) far outweighs the despair of missing a day of work ($200) because there are no extras around.

There is a recurring debate among planters as to which kind of shovel (Staff vs. D-Handle) is better. On the face of it, a D-handle is better. It feels more natural than a staff. The handle gives you leverage for twisting, and its length is more comfortable than the length of the staff. It feels like a “normal” shovel. In stores that sell planting gear, there are always far more D-handles to choose from than staves, leading many planters to think that the D is the way to go. However, the D can lead to physical problems, such as tendonitis and bursitis.

Tendonitis (and bursitis, which is related) affects people who use certain muscle groups in repetitive ways. People who type, use adding machines or computer keyboards or power tools, and tree planters, are the largest affected groups. The tendon is the tissue that joins a muscle to a bone. The tendon is wrapped in a sheath of protective tissue. When a muscle is over-used in a repetitive way, the tendon can inflame the sheath by rubbing against it. This causes the sheath to swell, which results in the creaking sound and feel of tendonitis, swelling, pain, stiffness, and sometimes immobility of the affected part.

There has been some argument in the past about whether the application of heat or cold is more appropriate in treatment of tendonitis. I don’t have a good answer for that, except that you should see your first aid attendant for treatment. My feeling is that cold is best at the start, to reduce swelling. Internet research seems to generally support the application of cold packs as the best form of treatment, although some people will disagree.

If you lay your palm flat against the outside of your thigh, your entire arm is in what is known as the “anatomically neutral” position. This means that there is no stress or extension on any ligaments, muscle groups, or tendons in your arm. Now, if you turn your hand so that its palm lies flat on the front of your thigh, you are holding your hand OUT of the anatomically neutral position. This means that your tendons and muscles are extended.

Muscles and tendons are like any other material: they have a limited (though, in the long term variable) capacity to absorb and/or transmit stress. When you hold your hand out of anatomical position, you decrease the “slack” or excess absorptive capacity in your arm. This means that when you plant with a D-handled shovel, you are in effect overloading the tendons and muscles in your arm, because you are transmitting kinetic energy through your arm (from slamming the shovel into the ground) and through muscles and tendons that are already extended. Imagine something like a climbing rope, rubber band, or bike tire. When these materials are not stretched out, or only partially stretched, they have a large capacity to absorb shock. However, when they are stretched taut, the same amount of force can tear or puncture them. Your muscles work in a roughly similar way. A staff shovel helps by making you use your arm in an anatomically neutral position because of the way that you hold the staff, not like a D-handle that is at a ninety-degree angle to neutral position. This means that you will transmit stress through your muscles and tendons that are not in an extended position. A staff also allows your hand to slide along the shaft when the shovel hits the ground (especially when you hit rocks), whereas a D-handle transmits that energy directly into your arm, which hurts and causes damage over time.

Veteran planters who are used to a D-handle might consider switching. After only a day, the staff will begin to feel normal to you. The long handle can be sawed down (wrap the end in a ball of duct tape) so it doesn’t get in your way, and the blade can be customized as with any other shovel. I personally expect to use a D-handle for the rest of my life, but then again, I’m stubborn and set in my ways. I still would recommend that new planters start off on the right foot by learning to use a staff. The Workers’ Compensation Board also strongly recommends a staff.

Planting shovels come pre-made in standard configurations, however, some planters modify their shovels by having a metal shop or hardware store change the shape of the blade. You can shorten a blade, change its shape, and saw off one of the kickers. Rookies need not bother with this, until they have some experience and know how blade changes can benefit them. Be careful however, not to shorten your blade too much. I’ve occasionally had planters pulled off the block by checkers because their blades did not meet minimum length requirements (established because most checkers figure that a shorter blade leads to j-roots, a theory which does have some merit).

In the last couple of years, there has been a lot of emphasis on safety and injury prevention, especially with respect to frequent injuries like tendonitis. The problem as I see it is that all of the warnings about over-exerting yourself and therefore suffering chronic injuries are detrimental in a sense. Planters MUST accept the fact that they are going to be sore in every part of their bodies, and some parts are going to be especially affected. I am not suggesting that if you are suffering pain (especially sharp pains) you should continue to aggravate a potential injury by continuing to work. However, there are alternatives available that may prevent overly-cautious persons from being sidelined. It is quite possible for an experienced planter to learn to plant with the opposite hand. I had to do that due to a shoulder injury several years ago. It felt incredibly awkward to me at the start, but within two days I could plant almost as quickly left-handed as I could with my preferred usual right-handed approach. It certainly was a lot better than sitting in camp for several days waiting for a swollen wrist on my shovel arm to subside. In the long run, it had unexpected benefits - I was a lot more versatile once I realized that I could “switch-hit” frequently throughout the day, depending upon the microsite.

Where To Buy Gear

Camping gear can be bought pretty much anywhere. You can get basic gear very cheaply at Canadian Tire, K-Mart, etc. Many people would recommend buying decent camping gear because it will last and make your life more comfortable. For better camping equipment, there are some upscale places around. Mountain Equipment Co-Op has stores in Toronto (416-363-0122), Ottawa (613-745-1094), Vancouver (604-872-7858), and Calgary (403-269-2420). Their mail order number is 1-800-663-2667. If you want to get a high-quality tent, sleeping bag, etc., MEC is probably the best place in Canada to buy it. You can also get other stuff quite cheaply at MEC (such as outdoor clothing), and items such as knives can be much cheaper than in jewelry stores or independent retailers. MEC is a co-op, so you have to be a member to shop there - only $5 for life.

You can get cheap cotton clothes at thrift stores (the Salvation Army, Interfaith Thrift, Frenchy’s, etc.). Mark’s Work Wearhouse and Work World sell quality stuff like pants, socks, and pile outerwear for reasonable prices. Some of the clothing mentioned above can also be bought at MEC or other outdoor places. You would do well to buy cheap stuff, because your clothes will get dirty, abused, and destroyed in the bush. Don’t load up at Eddie Bauer or J.Crew or L.L. Bean.

Shovels, bags, silvicool tarps/bags, caulk boots, and rain gear can be bought in Vancouver from Neville Crosby International. BushPro no longer has a retail store, so you have to visit Neville Crosby, the BushPro dealer. Neville-Crosby is located at 445 Terminal Avenue, Vancouver, about a five minute walk from the bus station. Their toll-free number is 1-800-663-6733. The Prince George Neville Crosby is at 250-564-9166. The Smithers store is at 250-847-4489. In Edmonton, the main forestry supplier is Canadian Forestry Equipment at 403-484-6687, and their order number is 1-800-661-7959. In Prince George, Centre City Surplus, which is very well stocked, is located downtown, somewhere down 4th or 5th avenue, although their prices are horribly over-inflated on many items. Another store that many people have recommended in recent seasons is IRL (Industrial Reproductions Ltd.) in Prince George. Finally, there is also a chain of stores in BC called Surplus Herbie’s (stores in Williams Lake, Prince George, Kamloops, Kelowna, Vancouver, and maybe elsewhere) that have camping gear and often planting stuff as well.

Planting Methods, Rules, etc.

Stock Types

The vast majority of trees planted in the interior of BC and Northern Alberta are either pine or spruce trees, with a much lesser amount of fir and other species. These species may be grown as either bare-root or plug (container) seedlings. In BC, the classification system for bare-root trees is as follows:

1+0 A one year old (usually a small tree with a small root system).

2+0 A two year old (usually average size with roots up to 25cm long).

Spruce root systems have more small hair roots than pine.

1.5+1.5 A three year old (can be a very large tree with very long roots).

These trees take special care when planting.

1P+1 A two year old plug transplant. Root systems are compact.

Plugs are grown in containers for one to two years and are measured by the size of the container. The three digit number system is broken down into the first digit which indicates the width of the plug, and the last two digits which indicate plug length.

211 Width 2cm, length 11cm (rarely planted nowadays)

313 Width 3cm, length 13cm.

410 Width 4cm, length 10cm (good in rocky ground).

415 Width 4cm, length 15cm (a sturdy tree, but heavy).

Stock Care

The process of moving a planted tree from one growing site to another (transplanting) can result in a lot of shock to the tree. Your job is to keep this to an absolute minimum, in order for the tree to stand an excellent chance of survival. Seedlings are living organisms. When not in their natural environment, they are extremely vulnerable to physical damage and stress caused by poor care. Exposure to high temperatures, low humidity, or rough handling physically damages the seedling, or alters physiological processes.

An overwintered (frozen) seedling becomes physiologically active (ie. respiration) at +4^oC. Once active, the seedling begins to use up stored reserves of food and water. The higher the temperature, the faster the food and water is used up. These are the same reserves that the seedling needs to produce roots and to establish itself when planted. In a planting situation, the longer a seedling sits in a warm box or a planting bag, the less chance it has to establish itself and to grow. Therefore, seedlings must be protected from high temperatures at all times.

All physiological processes in the seedling require water. To prevent desiccation (drying out), seedlings must remain moist. The seedling's root system is especially sensitive to drying out because the roots do not have a protective covering like the needles have. In closed boxes, the humidity level is high. However, in open boxes and in planting bags, the moisture levels can become critically low, especially as temperatures and winds increase. Exposing the roots of a bare-root seedling to direct sunlight and temperatures of +20^oC for as little as 20 or 30 seconds will kill the fine root hairs that absorb water and nutrients. Container stock is not as susceptible because the peat plug maintains a short-term supply of water. However, with both bare-root and container seedlings it is important that moisture levels are kept high in the boxes and especially in your planting bags. Spring trees have been frozen during the winter, and should be stored in closed boxes. Summer trees have been "hot-lifted" and are growing upon delivery. Summer trees should always be stored standing up in boxes, with the tops open.

All plants and their parts react to mechanical disturbances. Dropping boxes of trees, shaking, and/or pulling seedlings can cause internal physical damage. Root systems in particular are very susceptible. Minimize exposure to the sun, wind, and high temperatures. Seedlings should never be in planting bags for more than one hour. Peat moss or sponges in bags should always be kept moist. Always bag out before taking a break or coming back to the cache. Trees must be packed standing up in your planting bags. Do not over-fill planting bags, so that loose trees or bundles can fall out onto the ground. Do not remove plastic bundle wrappers from more than one bundle at a time (check with your foreman for particular details on each contract). If frozen stock is discovered, let it thaw gradually in the shade in open boxes – never lay frozen bundles out in direct sunlight, no matter how desperate the situation.

A seedling's roots must be planted in mineral or humid soil - soil that "sticks" when squeezed between your fingers. Moss, twigs, rotten wood (chunky red rot), grass sod or duff are not adequate growth mediums. These materials dry up too quickly. Wet sphagnum moss areas can be planted, as long as they do not include standing water. If the shovel hole fills with water immediately as the hole is opened, the ground is probably too wet to plant (ask foreman for special techniques for planting in swamps, sphagnum, etc.).

The screef (an area for the seedling which has been cleared of debris) must be large enough and deep enough to remove competing vegetation and root mats from around the tree, and expose an area of mineral soil. A scalp is similar to a screef, but not as comprehensive - living vegetation, debris, etc. is cleared, but roots, etc. may not be removed down to mineral soil. Check with foreman on each individual contract to determine minimum required screef/scalp size.

Spot selection - don't plant in depressions (water and frost can collect and damage seedlings). In site-prepped ground (ie. ripper plough, disc trenching, or mounding, never plant in the bottom of the trench - always try to hit as high up the side as possible while still maintaining that the roots are in mineral soil. This rule (always trying to aim for planting seedlings in “high spots”) has become increasingly important in recent years.

Summary of Some General Stock-Handling Rules:

1. While transferring boxes of trees from a truck to the main cache, boxes should be passed and not thrown. Special attention should be focused on NOT dropping the boxes.

2. When loading a pick-up or ATV with boxes for transportation, make sure the boxes are firmly packed and if piling more than two layers, use racks (ie. plywood, slats, or sticks) to keep the weight evenly distributed.

3. Never stack boxes more than three high and keep enough space between boxes for adequate air circulation. Cover boxes with an elevated large silvicool tarp.

4. Boxes of trees should always be stored in a shaded area (preferably under a shaded forest canopy), and covered with a reflective tarp.

5. Field caches should be in the shade, ie. timber, north slope, near streams, patches of snow, and make sure there is good air circulation.

6. The inside of the box must never be allowed to warm up.

7. Trees must be transferred directly from your box to your bag.

8. Bare-root stock may need the roots dipped in a mixture of water and peat moss (slurry) before loading them into your bags.

9. Insert bags must always be sealed with the exception of your feeder bag (drawbag).

10. Moisture must always be kept in the bottom of your bags, in the form of wet moss, peat moss, or sponge(s). The roots of all trees must be kept damp at all times, and under all weather conditions. A dry tree is a dead tree.

11. Never leave trees in your planting bags for any length of time, ie. overnight or during breaks.

12. Always bag out before quitting or put your trees back into the box.

13. Don't leave boxes of trees in a pickup, especially in warm weather.

14. Boxes must be covered with a reflective tarp at all times.

15. Boxes must be put back in the main cache on days off, etc. Individual caches are only for ½ day supply of trees.

Pre-Work Conference

At the start of every contract, the supervisors and checkers for the company that we are contracting to will hold a pre-work conference to introduce themselves. At this meeting, they will specify the exact details they require about quality tolerance, spacing, special stock handling requirements, or any other special details that they may require from us.

Screefing

In order for the seedling to survive, the whole root system must be planted in mineral soil. After choosing the spot to plant, all vegetation, dry sticks, roots, etc. must be cleared away to reveal mineral soil. This is done by a kicking motion with your foot, or by a sweeping motion with your shovel (called screefing). When using your foot to screef, use a backward and forward motion - never go side-to-side as this will weaken or tear your knee ligaments. Size, depth, and type of soil classified as "good planting medium" will be specified at the pre-work conference.

Spacing and Density

At the pre-work conference, the planter will be given several spacing lengths. The "optimum spacing" is the overall desired average distance between seedlings. There is a tolerance around the optimum spacing; due to obstacles (rocks, stumps, etc.) on the block, not every tree will be able to be planted at the optimum spacing from every other tree. A "minimum spacing" will also be given. This is the absolute minimum distance that must separate ANY two trees. Use the tolerance between the minimum and optimum spacing to your advantage - try to find spots to place your trees that will provide an optimum of microsite quality and ease of planting. A minimum distance which trees must be planted from acceptable natural trees will often be specified.

Spacing must be checked regularly by the planter!! This cannot be emphasized enough!! It is the PLANTER's responsibility to ensure proper quality and density. By using the plot cord, the correct number of seedlings located in a random "plot" can be established. From this, an estimate of density (number of trees per hectare) can be determined. Planters should do two plots on themselves every day to ensure consistency in spacing. It is far preferable to spend a couple of minutes each day checking up on your work than to end up spending a full day or more reworking an area due to improper spacing. Plot cords must be carried at all times by both rookie and experienced planters. A plot cord must be 3.99 metres in length, which, when measuring out a circle, will cover exactly 50 square metres, or 1/200th of a hectare.

Quality

The importance of quality cannot be over-emphasized. Every planter is responsible for his/her quality. This must be checked on a regular basis. There is no excuse for poor quality. Pay percentage for planting will be derived directly from the quality of the trees and the spacing. Planting quality will be discussed at the pre-work conference. Special requirements such as screefing depth, soil surface, or root collar shading will be specified. A number of planting faults can be called against seedlings. A full list of these can be seen by examining a sample plot sheet as used by the BC Ministry of Forests (see Appendix).

The “quality” identifies how well (ie. how close to forest code specifications) your trees are planted. Quality is important because it determines how much the contractor (and therefore you, the planter) gets paid. Generally, when a contractor is awarded a contract, the price paid the contractor is the original bid price multiplied by the quality (expressed as a percentage). So, if a contractor bids at twenty cents a tree and gets the equivalent of ninety percent quality, he/she will be paid eighteen cents a tree instead of twenty. For this reason, contractors want to plant with the quality as high as possible, so in order to do this, they pay planters according to planted quality. For a veteran planter planting $12,000 in a full season, getting only ninety percent payment on average, which may sound good at first, means a loss of $1,200, roughly equivalent to your camp costs for the season. This, to me, is not acceptable.

Quality is evaluated by the lumber company of the Ministry of Forests office which is administering the contract. Essentially, assessment is a statistical procedure. The assessor (aka. the checker) will determine how large a piece of planted land was in terms of area. Based on this information and the contract specifications, the checker will know how many trees should have been planted in the land, and therefore how many he/she needs to check. The checker will then plot a series of gridded lines on a map of the planted block. The checker then walks through the planted block following his map and the assessment lines. When he/she reaches an intersection, a fifty square metre circle is drawn out on the ground. Fifty square metres is one two-hundredth of a hectare (Ha), and therefore, there should be one two-hundredth of the number of trees specified in the contract, within the actual plot, on average. For example, if the contract specifies a desire for 1800 trees/Ha, with a minimum density clause of 1600 trees/Ha, then the planters will hope that approximately 1/200th of 1800 trees/Ha, or nine trees, is the average number of trees in the plots that the checker throws. An average of less than eight trees/plot in this case (1/200th of 1600/Ha) would be very bad, as it would fall below the minimum acceptable density.

The block quality assessment measures two factors which affect payment: planted quality (ie. whether or not the trees have been properly put into the ground) and density (ie. whether or not the correct number of trees per unit of land have been planted). If either (or both) of these measurements are too far away from contract specifications, the quality drops. The checker will determine the planted quality and the density for each plot and add the results of all the plots together to determine the overall result for the block.

You, as a planter, will very likely have almost no contact with the checkers (this is good, as they can fine you individually for stock-handling violations). Your foreman, if he/she has some experience, should be able to figure out exactly what the checker is looking for in the first day or two of the contract (and therefore, what you can get away with). This is crucial: your aim, as a planter, will be to plant trees of adequate quality. Perfectionism is nice, but is slower, which means less money for you. You can usually get away with one in twenty trees (5%) being bad. However, there is a fine line. As a rookie, you should strive for perfection. Your foreman will be watching you carefully, and will let you know when you can loosen the reins a bit, because more money for you usually means more commission for the foreman. However, rookies must keep in mind that foremen are especially suspicious of the quality of rookies, because first year planters haven’t had enough time to “play the game”, and if you are the slightest bit too slack, you will probably become the victim of the “R” word - replanting. Veterans also sometimes run into problems because they slack off just a bit too much, and eventually get nailed (strictly speaking, veterans planters actually cause the majority of the quality problems in the first couple weeks, because unless their quality is really poor, the rookies are still so slow that they do not plant so many trees to make an appreciable difference). Taking the extra second to make sure each tree is acceptable is usually preferable to spending an entire day replanting.

British Columbia Quality

This is a very confusing section to learn just by reading it, but it is very important to you (in the long term) to learn EXACTLY how quality is measured. Take the time to learn this stuff – it’s well worth the effort!

In BC, two major quality components affect the planter. The first is your density and spacing, and the second is your root media and position. The BC checking rules are designed to ensure that planters achieve correct density (number of trees planted per unit of land) and spacing (distance between trees). The fundamental quality calculation is the number of “satisfactorily planted” trees divided by the number of plantable spots. If you space your trees out too wide, you will miss plantable spots, and your quality will go down. For this reason, the biggest hassle involved in learning to plant has to do with spacing. It is quite easy to learn to plant a tree well, ie. picking the right type of soil, spot, and making a good hole, closing properly, etc. These specifications change from site to site, and your foreman will explain them to you as you arrive on the block. But spacing can cause problems for a lot of people.

Let’s take an example: Drew’s crew plants a five hectare block. Because British Columbia MOF (Ministry of Forestry) rules say that one plot must be done per hectare, the checker throws five plots (this is a simplified example). On this particular contract, important information includes a target density of 1400 stems/Ha, with a minimum density clause requirement of 1250 stem/Ha.

- On the first plot, Scirolli (the checker) finds 8 trees planted. All eight are planted properly. Since the target density is seven trees per plot (1400 divided by 200), we have “7 plantable spots, 8 trees planted, 1 excess tree, 7 good trees.” The maximum number of plantable spots equals the target density, although if the ground is poor, there can be a lower number of plantable spots. Because there was one more tree planted than necessary, we get the one excess. Finally, the number of “good” trees cannot exceed the number of plantable spots.

- On the second plot, Scirolli finds only 6 trees planted, one of which is shallow. He sees that the planter has missed a spot (due to extremely wide spacing in one spot) which could potentially hold an acceptable tree, so he records, “7 plantable spots, 6 planted, 0 excess, 5 good.”

- On the third plot, Scirolli finds a section where Baxter has planted the perfect number of trees, but four are j-roots. He records, “7 plantable spots, 7 planted, 0 excess, 3 good.”

- On the fourth plot, Scirolli wanders into Charlie’s land. Charlie has been trying some “cash planting”, and has planted 11 trees where only seven should fit. Bad Charlie. However, only one is a bit deep. Scirolli records, “7 plantable spots, 11 planted, 4 excess, 7 good.” (Even though “one” is bad, there are still at least seven good ones left over. The excess trees can cover problems with quality.)

- On the fifth plot, Scirolli ends up in Jason Johnson’s land, and finds a perfect seven for seven, “7 plantable spots, 7 trees planted, 0 excess, 7 good trees.”

We can sum up the results as follows:

Plot # Plantable Spots Trees Planted Excess Trees Good Trees

1 7 8 1 7

2 7 6 0 5

3 7 7 0 3

4 7 11 4 7

5 7 7 0 7

Total 35 39 5 29

The block’s statistics are then figured out as follows:

Density = trees planted divided by number of plots, times 200.

= 35 planted / 5 plots = 7 trees per plot, x 200 = 1400 stems/Ha. Perfect!!

Quality = number of good trees divided by plantable spots.

= 29 / 35 = 82.9%. Bad. Very Bad. Shame on you, Drew. The Ministry

has a clause on most contracts that says quality under 85%

will result in no payment. Drew is working for charity.

Excess = Excess Trees divided by Trees Planted.

= 5 / 39 = 12.8%. Bad. On top of no payment for the block, there

will be an “excess fine”. This happens when any block

comes in over 7.0% excess.

Moral: A little excess is good. A lot is bad. And it is possibly

to have excess when the density is correct (or rarely, even

when the block is below the minimum acceptable density).

Three final notes:

If you look back at plot number two above, here is something to think about: It would also be possible to have only six trees planted in that plot but NOT to have a missed spot. The way that could happen would be if, rather than having one instance of extremely wide spacing, there was consistent slightly wide spacing throughout the plot. The only way that a missed spot can be called (technically) is if there is a spot that you could plant another tree such that after planting the additional tree, there would still be no other trees at less than contract spacing from that new tree. In practice, we have occasionally run into checkers who apply a version of the above rule, but use minimum spacing as the qualifying criteria, so long as the plot is under the target density. This isn’t exactly as per the official provincial plotting guidelines, but sometimes it is pointless to argue small things like this if it is not a widespread problem.

The pay percentage based on quality is not a one-to-one relationship as quality deteriorates: it is an exponential formula. This basically means that you should look in a table to find the exact correlation. A Planting Quality Percentage (PQ%) of 92.6% or higher actually results in a Planting Payment Percentage (PP%) of 100.0%. This system realizes and accepts the fact that you will inevitably plant a few bad trees, and therefore you will still receive full payment for your work within certain tolerances. However, once you get below 92.6% PQ%, your payment drops rapidly. Many contracts specify that planting quality of less than 85% results in no payment.

Also, as you can see from the above example, it is possible to have “excess” when you have perfect density. It all relates to staying within tolerances. Persons familiar with the study of statistics understand the clustering and standard deviation aspect of this – the forester would rather see three plots with 7 trees each than one with 2, one with 7, and one with 12. The average is the same, but the trees in the more uniformly distributed area will be more successful in the long term.

Alberta Checking Rules

Alberta differs from BC in several important ways, and there are also significant differences between various Alberta districts’ checking standards. Alberta, unlike BC, often does not allow excess trees to cover quality mistakes. As an example, if the target density was eight trees per plot, and you planted nine trees including one bad tree, in BC you would get an “Eight for Eight, with One Excess.” In Alberta, however, the number of bad trees is subtracted from the possible number of spots, so even with nine trees, it would be recorded as a “Seven for Eight.” This is a kind of double-whammy, because planting excess trees increases the chance of the checkers finding bad trees, and of course, excess fines are still a consideration.

Extra Notes from the M.O.F. Planting Quality Inspection Booklet

Inspections are based on systematic sampling methods. A sample of one 50m² (1/200Ha - 3.99m radius) plot per hectare is usually sufficient for larger units. On smaller sites sample accuracy is improved by increasing the inspections to as high as four plots per hectare. The number of plots on any given payment unit must never be less than 20, although in practice, on very small blocks (under five hectares) most checkers will be content to throw a minimum of five plots.

In areas of very large homogenous blocks or where planting densities are below 900 trees per hectare, plots of 100 m² (1/100Ha - 5.64m radius) are allowable. The same plot size must be used throughout the unit as data from different plot sizes cannot be compared. The plot density may be reduced somewhat but the minimum of 20 for a unit (or project) should be maintained.

Plot lines begin at an easily identifiable point such as a road junction or a landing. Plots are established along plot lines located to give the required sampling density. A predetermined grid pattern allows both full coverage of the area and maintains the requirement for random plot location. Improper plot location methods could distort the results.

Once the plot has been located, the inspector positions the centre stake and measures a circle of 3.99m radius. He flags trees inside the plot and does a tree count as he looks for obvious problems. Assessing the plot is really a two phase procedure. Most inspectors check the tree spacing first as errors are usually obvious and correct spacing is important to the future forest’s development. Wide spacing, close spacing, presence of naturals, and missed spots are judged, ignoring the influence of the plot boundary (although some checkers will graciously refrain from calling a “B1” or close tree that is planted less than the minimum spacing from another tree, IF that second tree is outside the plot boundar).

Despite the obvious nature of spacing faults, the most important aspect of inspecting planting quality is the assessment of how the trees were planted and in which microsites. These factors are the most critical to the plantation’s survival and growth. The inspector determines if each tree is properly planted on an acceptable microsite. Root excavation follows as most faults occur below ground. Initially, all the trees in each plot are excavated and carefully examined. Once any problems have been corrected, the inspector needs dig up only enough trees to be sure quality standards are maintained.

The planting Quality Inspection Report (form FS 704) records the results of the inspection. Contract particulars and a basic assessment of stock handling practices are recorded at the top. The basic plot data listing the number of plantable spots, trees planted and satisfactory trees, and comments follows for each plot. Some simple calculations at the bottom of the form produce the inspection results.

During planting, the contract spacing is the normal distance between the trees. Occasionally, planting between the contract spacing and minimum spacing will make more efficient use of the available microsites. However, occasional reductions in spacing must be offset with increases elsewhere to maintain the correct density. It is all about averages.

For a planted tree to be credited as satisfactory, it must meet three criteria. Most importantly, it must be properly planted on an acceptable microsite but it must also be located at a distance greater than the minimum allowable from all other planted and acceptable natural trees. An acceptable microsite that meets such a spacing criteria is called a “plantable spot”. The inspector’s job is to evaluate the planter’s judgment in selecting plantable spots and evaluate his/her ability to properly plant the tree.

At each plot, the inspector counts the number of properly spaced trees planted on acceptable microsites. If there is no just reason to change the count, then the number of trees planted equals the number of plantable spots to the maximum allowed in the contract.

Acceptable naturals, as defined at the pre-work conference, are considered to be the same as planted trees and are allowed the same spacing. This usually results in the loss of a plantable spot. However, a cluster of naturals will not necessarily have a one-to-one relationship to plantable spots. When this occurs, planters simply observe the correct spacing from the closest acceptable natural in the group.

While a single widely spaced tree is not considered a fault, a group of widely spaced trees causes the efficient use of the plantable ground to be questioned. A plot is classified as having wide spacing when it has a group of two or more trees spaced farther than the contract spacing from themselves and all their neighbors, inside or outside the plot. The inspector ignores the widely spaced trees and re-assesses the plantable spot count for the area of the plot that they occupied, in relation to how they should have been planted; that is, normally spaced between contract and minimum spacing. This number plus the number of properly planted trees is recorded as the plantable spots for the plot.

A missed plantable spot is defined as an acceptable microsite that is not covered by the contract spacing area for at least one tree, whether the tree is inside or outside the plot. The missed spot is included in the plantable spot count. As mentioned above, some checkers will unfortunately try to apply “minimum spacing” to this situation, or even a total void size of “contracting spacing on one side and minimum spacing to the next,” both of which have slightly valid arguments, although not in the favour of the planter.

Close spacing is defined as a tree with less than minimum spacing from another. It is either an extra tree placed between two properly spaced trees or is planted a short distance from its proper location. Any tree classed as too close is not on a plantable spot and must be ignored when assessing the number of plantable spots in the plot. The inspector ignores the plot boundary when assessing spacing. If there are trees inside the plot too close to those outside the plot, the tree at fault must be determined as follows: in the case of an extra tree placed between several normally spaced trees, the extra tree is “too close.” When it is not clear which tree is incorrectly spaced, the tree inside the plot is classified as the tree that is at fault. When there is a group of closely spaced trees, the inspector determines the minimum number of trees that are in the wrong place. This is the number that are recorded as “too close”, or faulted as B1’s. Occasionally it happens that there is more than one way to assess a situation or a plot. When this happens, the method that is to the advantage of the contractor (planter) is used.

If more trees are planted than “plantable spots,” the extras are coded “excess trees,” regardless of any other faults they may have. These excess trees will be added into the calculation of the percent excess for the unit. However, a 7% tolerance is applied before any charged are calculated. In plots with both excess and faults, the fault tree is considered the one in excess and is recorded as such.

Non-plantable areas reduce the plantable spot count only when the trees, planted up to the edge of the non-plantable area, cannot fully occupy the plot with their combined contract spacing areas. A tree located on an unacceptable microsite is classed as excess, unless it can be moved within spacing tolerances to an acceptable microsite, in which case it is coded as a fault tree.

The Three Basic Types of Faults Listed on a 704 Plot Sheet:

A. Damage to seedlings.

B. Planting spot selection.

C. Planting quality.

Type “A” Planting Faults:

1. Broken, cut, or damaged roots (must first ensure that it is the planter’s fault).

2. Broken top.

3. Scarred stem (most often caused by carelessly kicking the hole shut).

4. Wasted tree (include discarded/dropped good trees but not obvious cull trees).

5. More than one tree in a hole (code each tree as a fault). [I would think that you would have to be pretty incompetent to be found guilty of this fault, although I have seen it several times, and we had to let one planter go who was doing it repeatedly, on purpose].

Type “B” Planting Faults:

1. Too close (to other acceptable seedlings or larger natural trees).

2. Too wide (different than a missed spot: only a warning, not a fault).

3. Overhead obstacles.

4. Soil too shallow.

5. Too dry (usually on a dry mound or loose gravel).

6. Too wet (usually in a depression or creek bed).

7. Poor microsite selection.

8. Poor rooting medium (rotten wood, red rot that is not sufficiently decomposed, or duff).

Type “C” Planting Faults:

1. Screefing not deep enough (depth specified in contract).

2. Scalping not wide enough (width specified in contract).

3. Tree not centered in scalp.

4. Improper root placement - “J” or “U” roots.

5. Exposed roots.

6. Roots not straight.

8. Improper shading (as per contract instructions).

9. Air pocket (any air channel which reaches root zone).

10. Too loose.

11. Too shallow (as defined at pre-work conference).

12. Too deep (as defined at pre-work conference).

13. Unacceptable backfill (backfilling planting hole with duff, litter, or snow).

Planters should be aware of the importance of plots. If a planter has a very small section of very poorly planted trees, and walks away from that section without making them acceptable, he or she is playing a dangerous game. One random plot falling in that specific piece can result in a very “bad plot”, which can bring down the average of the whole block, potentially resulting in the loss of hundreds or even thousands of dollars to the entire crew. In my many years as a foreman, I have three times seen blocks where a planter knowingly left a small hole (a cardinal sin), and had a plot land in the hole in question (a “zero for eight” in each case), bringing the block’s quality under that needed for full payment. In two cases, the planters ran out of trees near the back of their land, and were too lazy to run back with the couple of bundles necessary to complete the area. In the others, the area was crappy and they decided to refrain from finishing it (another cardinal sin). They certainly learned their lesson, and in each case, the rest of the crew was not too happy with them. And a side point: if you think a hole will take some certain number of trees, be safe and take twice as many. Ninety percent of planters (and a good portion of experienced foremen) underestimate the amount of trees required to fill an area.

Planting Spot Selection

The planting site selection of a tree can be a critical component to seedling survival. The influence of selecting a plantable spot, rather than adhering rigidly to some fixed spacing, is often the key factor that will determine not only the survival, but also the growth rate of the tree. Since there is an allowable deviation from the prescribed spacing, the proper microsite selection is an important factor in seedling survival. The key to productive planting is acquiring an eye to see where the dirt is. The rookie planter will often be seen screefing huge holes to reach mineral soil when an easy planting site may be found by an experienced planter less than 30cm away.

Good choices in spot selection:

- Mineral soil, the most satisfactory medium.

- Well decomposed duff that has its original structure.

- In the shade on the north or east side of stumps, logs, or other debris (this is specialized “obstacle planting”).

- On the side of depressions in the ground.

- Close to stumps, logs, or other biodegradable degrees that will serve to protect the tree slightly from environmental dangers such as adverse weather, and that will eventually decompose to help fertilize the new seedling (this is a more generalized form of “obstacle planting”).

- On raised areas – high spots are almost always preferred and very important.

Poor choices in spot selection: VERY IMPORTANT!!

- In partially rotten wood, logs, or stumps.

- In depressions or other places subject to flooding.

- In hollows in the ground.

- On hummocks of loose soil.

- On cut banks and other unstable slopes.

- On roads that are likely to be traveled or on game or livestock trails.

- Within six meters of an established right-of-way.

- Within the drip-line of larger potential crop trees.

- On landings or other compacted areas.

- Closer than the minimum spacing from acceptable naturals or other planted seedlings.

- NEVER plant on seismic lines or roads without prior approval from the foreman.

Planters can be fined for such an infraction.

- Always stay at least one meter off roads, more on some contracts.

Disc trenchers produce two parallel trenches with a sidecast of mixed materials. The continuous furrows provide easily recognizable planter access trails and ample opportunity for microsite selection, allowing higher productivity. The choice of an appropriate planting spot depends on microsite conditions and the biological objectives of the planting site. Planters must understand exactly which planting position is appropriate for different site conditions within an opening.

Planting Steps

1. Select a suitable spot. Check to make sure that no other trees are closer than the minimum spacing.

2. Screef the area to remove debris and reveal mineral soil.

3. Hold the shovel with its concave face toward you and force the blade into the ground at an angle to a depth that will accommodate the roots without bending or bunching. You may need to use your foot to get the required depth.

4. Open the hole by pushing the shovel away from you, making sure that the hole is big enough to accommodate the root system of the tree.

5. For bare-root stock, place the tree in the hole and guide the roots down with the tip of your shovel (taking care not to damage them), so the roots are in a natural position and the whole root system is straight and slightly deeper than its normal position. For container stock, place the tree in the hole with your hand so the plug is straight and the root collar is slightly below its normal position.

6. Pull the tree up to its normal position so the roots spread out.

7. While still holding the top of the tree, replace the dirt around the roots and stem.

8. The tree hole can be closed at this point providing that a back-cut is not required.

9. Check the tree for depth and make sure that the top of the plug is not showing or there are no exposed roots on barefoot stock. Make sure the tree is straight up and down, and pull lightly on the top of the tree to check firmness.

If you are planting in clay soil, or if you think you may have created an air pocket, you may need to back-cut your tree:

1. Drive the shovel in approximately 15cm behind the original hole and work it back then forward to close the hole.

2. Tamp down the dirt to firm the tree and kick the second hole closed with your heel.

Up until the late 1990’s, it was usually not permitted to use your toes to close the tree holes ("toe-tapping") – instead you had to use the weight of your heel. Toe-tapping was believed to lead to air pockets. At the present however, many foresters have begun to recognize the damage potentially caused to the seedling by someone kicking hard and compressing the roots. Even today, however, many contracts require the back-cutting of every tree, especially Ministry of Forestry (MOF) contracts in BC. Even though this is rarely enforced any more, you should be able to demonstrate the proper technique for back-cutting your trees, including a kick to obliterate the mark from your backcut. If back-cutting everything does not seem to be practical at times, ask your foreman for advice - but never tell the checker that you are not back-cutting.

Planting Strategy

Line planting is the simplest and easiest method of planting. This method consists of planting a single line of trees; then following this line back at the appropriate spacing. It is very important to realize right away that line planting does not necessarily mean straight lines, much to the disappointment of rookies who mistakenly assume that they can keep their planted sections very square and logical. Your line will inevitably become quite crooked as you avoid stumps, logs, etc., and attempts are sometimes made to keep it straight. This can be done by skipping over obstructions and filling in areas. By keeping a straight line, a planter can follow the trees more easily. Natural boundaries should be used to establish your starting and turnaround points. It is important that you work up to the block boundary or to someone else's planting so that no unplanted areas are left behind. Make a logical compromise between the tree cache distance and the area size. As you gain experience, you will find a combination of line and area planting to be the fastest method of planting. Above all, do not get hung up on the need for straight lines: some rookies unfortunately spend all their time making their lines straight instead of concentrating on overall production.

If the planting site has VERY high brush or shrub density, you can use flagging tape or stakes to locate the planting line. Stakes are very rarely used, however, flagging tape is commonly used in the BC Interior. The following points will aid you in using planting stakes:

- Put flagged stakes at 50 meter intervals or closer if very dense brush exists on your planting line.

- Use the flagged stakes to assist in following planted trees. Plant your way toward the next stake ahead, using the seedlings and flags to aid in proper spacing.

- When you reach a stake, move it over the contract spacing distance from the line you are planting, to assist you in following the line on the way back. These stakes are only used to help you locate the line; do not depend on them for accurate spacing.

As mentioned, the above method will only be used very rarely, in particularly nasty areas.

Line planting can also be done by more than one person. Two to three can line plant effectively; any more and line planting starts to become inefficient. Quality is also harder to control when more than three people are working in the same area. In group planting, the first person follows the trees already planted while the others follow the person ahead of them. This type of planting should be done by planters of the same speed. If a slower planter tries to keep up, quality suffers. The planters should take turns leading and also being at the end, since it helps if the last person can remember the line back. A word of caution, do not let group planting become a social event, as talking can easily reduce planting speed by twenty to thirty percent.

Area planting is most suitable in areas that have a low number of plantable spots due to slash, high after-table, thick duff, or some other obstructions. Area planting requires the planter to be aware of the areas that are planted and those that are not. This method of planting reduces the number of obstacles to climb over by systematically planting around them. Note that some people see someone line planting, but doing two lines (or more) wide as they go, and mistakenly think it is area planting. This is not area planting, which means planting specific “defined” areas. This is still line planting, although it is sometimes called “double-lining” because of the extra width. Often, if a vet is following a rookie who is line planting, and they want to stay behind the rookie to make it easier to watch the rookie’s style and quality, but do not want to lose production, they will plant two lines the whole time to the rookie’s one, which is usually a nice compromise.

On very steep slopes, it is more efficient to plant across the slope rather than up and down. The reason for this is that it is easy to plant uphill, but it is awkward to plant downhill, due to the slope. Valuable time is lost as one has to turn around (facing uphill) in order to be able to plant each tree. It is also more difficult to ensure correct spacing. On a hill, spacing between trees must be measured horizontally (imagine the trees fully grown), not along the sloped length of the ground, in order to determine density accurately.

When planting, don't daydream and take breaks. Here is a conservative estimate of wages lost based on wasting just three seconds per tree over the course of a full season:

3 seconds x 1200 trees per day = 3600 seconds

3600 seconds = one hour per day

one hour x 50 days (a season) = 50 hours

50 hours x $15.00/hour = approximately $750.00

The best way to learn how to use your time effectively and avoid wasted time is by listening to tips from veteran planters and your foreman. Observe the veterans and see which planters seem to work hardest and get good tallies. Then see what tips they have to get the trees in quickly. There are not really any truly magical secret methods that you will learn - the planter who does well is the planter who is self-disciplined enough to get started immediately upon arrival at the block in the morning, get out and keep his head down planting all day with a minimal lunch break, and get enough rest at night to be able to keep up this grueling schedule, day after day and week after week.

- Get an early start in the morning. Try to have your first tree in the ground by shortly after 7am. Afternoon heat will slow you down, so a good morning tally is the key to productive planting. On cold and wet days, planting will keep you warm, so keep moving. Even a ten minute lunch break on a cold stormy day can freeze you and ruin your afternoon.

- Reloading bags should be done quickly and efficiently to minimize non-productive times. Do not sit around at your cache waiting for a slower planter. You can sit around and talk after supper.

- Try not to eat lunch in groups. Highballers (the best productive planters) eat a little at a time, ie. eat a sandwich or piece of fruit while reloading between each box. If you eat all of your lunch at once, you tend to get tired and slow.

- Always be prepared!! Make sure you remember to bring your lunch, water, and adequate clothing. Tree planting is not a job you can do effectively while uncomfortable. Forgetting to take your planting boots, for example, might cost you over $100 in production, because the foreman usually cannot take the time to leave the rest of the crew to go back to camp for your boots.

- The placement of your personal tree cache is an important consideration. The trees should be placed in a shaded area close to your planting area. If possible, you should always work so you run out of trees at or close to your cache. Non-productive time can be kept to a minimum if you don't have to walk a long distance to bag up.

- Only bend once for every tree planted. Once the tree is placed correctly in the hole, the hole should be shut while you are in the bent position. Back-cuts can be done in the standing position.

- To increase speed, you should always keep ONLY ONE HAND ON YOUR SHOVEL! While moving from tree to tree, your other hand should be reaching into your planting bags, separating the next seedling to be planted. Never carry a seedling in the open air as the fine roots will dry quickly.

- In rocky or very duffy areas, the planter should use the shovel to probe the selected area before attempting to make a hole. Probing will decrease frustration and fatigue. Keep alert to the sound that the shovel makes as it strikes the earth. Soon you will recognize the sound of mineral soil, as compared to rock or rot or vegetation against the shovel blade.

- When planting an area, it is very important to remember which parts are planted and which are not. When the seedlings are quite small, one must do some memory work. Be aware of various landforms, burnt stumps, brush piles, etc.

- If a large area is unplantable, or there are many naturals to be avoided, mark the ground to show what has been covered, so you don't keep backtracking.

- In a grass or fireweed site, be sure to knock down the vegetation, thus enabling you to find the planted spot without actually sighting the tree, as you follow your line back.

- It is a good idea to walk through your planted area before quitting or during lunch breaks, quickly checking for quality and dropped trees. Make sure you don't walk through the area not yet planted, as the trampling of vegetation may confuse you later when looking for trees, especially later in the summer when the blocks are quite overgrown.

Etiquette

Planting contracts involve entire planting crews. A planter must know etiquette in order to minimize confrontation between workers.

- When defining a planting area, the planter must ribbon a line while establishing the first row. This will allow the next planter to find your trees and follow the line in order to plant in the other direction, or to plant up to your line.

- Do not cut one planter off while delineating individual areas. Try to use logic when deciding on area size. Do not ribbon an area that will take many days to complete. It is a good idea to take an area that will take no more than two to three days to complete on a ten day contract. If a planter spends too much time in one area, he/she may become tired or bored and production decreases. Note that in recent years, block sizes have decreased significantly. In the early 1990’s, it was not uncommon to be placed on blocks that held upwards of a million trees or more. Today, most blocks are in the ten thousand to one hundred thousand tree size range, and therefore, planters on fast crews may experience having to move daily or worse.

- Within one cut block, the terrain will vary tremendously. It is common courtesy to plant only a portion of a good area if it lies on the boundary of your area. Also, do not ribbon an area that contains only good ground (cream) and not difficult ground also. The foreman will try to ensure that the good and bad ground gets divided (over the course of the season) equally amongst the crew. Realize that sometimes you will get ground that is very difficult compared to that of others on the crew, but you will eventually get better land and it will balance out in the end.

- If you see a silvicool tarp blown off a box, replace it even if it is not your box. The same applies to dropped trees or bundles. Any fine against a crew will affect the whole crew. Someone will do the same for you someday. NEVER leave the cache without checking the tarps, and looking around for trees dropped while bagging up.

- Do not argue with the quality inspector. The checker has full control over a contract and can impose very stiff penalties. If there is a problem in your area, correct it right away even if it seems unreasonable. Arguing with checkers or mumbling to yourself is a waste of time and energy, thus affecting your productivity. If one keeps a positive attitude and good spirits, problems can be corrected fast and effectively without too much lost time. Contact your foreman, and he/she will attempt to help rectify the situation.

- If you have a complaint or problem, talk to your foreman or supervisor first. This will resolve the problem far more quickly than complaining to others on the crew, and will not affect morale negatively.

- Most people do NOT like being asked “how many do you have planted?” during the day. The person who frequently poses this question quickly becomes a pain in the ass. If you get asked this a lot, there are lots of fun ways to deal with it: (a) Tell them you have way more in than you do, which will upset the competitive types; (b) Tell them you have way less in than you do, then plant really quickly. This will give competitive types a surprise at the end of the day; (c) Say that you don’t like talking about numbers. (Hint: Do NOT try these tactics on your foreman, as he/she is trying to plan ahead so as to be able to keep you and the rest of the crew supplied efficiently and on-time. And don’t exaggerate about what you need - if you do this a couple times unnecessarily and it cuts into other planters’ planting time, you will soon find yourself out of favour with the foreman).

- “Creaming other people out” (selfishly hogging the best land) is the number one planting faux pas. If you go into somebody else’s land to plant, make sure it’s OK with them, and ask them where you should work. If somebody is trying to save their best land for last, they’ll be furious if you plant it. If YOU get creamed out by somebody else, tell the foreman about it. Also, realize that with today’s smaller blocks, it is becoming more and more difficult NOT to have a number of planters jumping into your section often, as the foreman tries to keep everyone working. Although you may resent having someone help finish your piece, think of how they feel about downtime if they don’t have a piece to work in at all. You’ll be in their shoes someday. Teamwork is essential for a smoothly interacting crew.

- If you’re going to screw up your quality, do it in your own land. Do NOT go into somebody else’s land and plant bad trees. This will make the other planter and the foreman furious, and will cost everybody time and money. If you don’t want to plant acceptable quality, go sit in the truck (although this makes the foreman mad too).

- Some people like nothing better than to talk about their brutal day. Others want to get away from it all. Figure out who is who and talk accordingly.

- Most people hate hearing a whiner. Keep it to yourself, or tell your best friend in private. If you must bitch, make it funny (something is only funny when other people laugh). And always remember: planting sometimes sucks, period. I think it was Shrek who said it best: “Suck it up, princess.”

- Cover the cache when you leave it, close and fold boxes, put your garbage into the garbage box. Foremen waste valuable time cleaning up after planters. Not cleaning up after yourself can result in tree-handling or garbage fines, as well as other people’s enmity.

- If you smoke, buy enough on your day off to last. Bring enough food, smokes, water, etc. People HATE those who consistently mooch off others. (On the other hand, if you desperately need something, ask. Everybody forgets stuff sometimes.)

- Cleanup days are when a block or contract is being finished. People are jumping around between pieces of land, moving, etc. Your foreman is probably stressing. Don’t hog trees, plant poor quality thinking it won’t be noticed, or slack off. Everybody wants to get finished and go home.

- If you are really sick or miserable, don’t plant. Stay in camp, sleep, heal, relax. Hard work that you don’t like won’t make you healthier and will prolong illness. Having sick people in the van, using crew water jugs and so on, just makes other people sick, and tends to make healthy planters depressed because someone else “gets” to sit in the truck. Try not to be sick on cleanup days.

- If you’ve had a bad day, leave it on the block. Have FUN in camp. Read a book, smoke cigarettes, have a beer, take a shower, listen to the radio, or go to bed early. The occasional bad day is inevitable, and is best forgotten. There will be good days at some point. Maybe?

Getting Along with Staff and Planters

You will spend two to four months of your summer dealing with other planters, supervisors, and cooks. Some friction is inevitable. If you have a problem, talk to the foreman/cook/supervisor before you bitch to other planters. Staff members always feel insulted when they are the last to hear about something. If you must bitch, do it with your best friend. Chances are, the rest of the crew really do not care about your bad day. Most people, when having to deal with a complainer, are not forward enough to just tell him/her to keep quiet, so the whole crew will tend to suffer silently. If somebody does whine too much, tell them (politely) that you don’t appreciate hearing negativity.

If you get treated badly because you don’t plant a lot of trees or because your quality sucks, you deserve it. You’re out there to work hard. Slackers cost the foreman, the company, and other planters money. If you don’t plant big numbers, at least stay out of your foreman’s hair and plant good quality. If you’re learning to plant and you’re slower than the other first-year planters, don’t worry, and just keep plugging away at it. Some people “take off” much sooner than others.

Offer to help out around camp, with cleaning, unloading stuff, setting up, etc. Support staff are always too busy. Helping out in camp and on the block makes life easier on everybody. Fill the generators and pumps for the cooks. Check the oil levels in the generators and pumps. Pick up any light garbage that is laying around. Many hands makes for light work.

Be responsible on days off. Every veteran tree planter has probably dealt with hotel owners who refused to accommodate planters because the last group trashed a room, started a bar fight, etc. What goes around comes around. Don’t make other people wait for you. Everybody hates it when the day-off van is supposed to leave town for camp at seven, and fifteen people have to wait for John to finish doing his laundry.

If you get instructions, directions, requests, etc., pay attention. This can mean the difference between a good day and replanting the three thousand pine trees you planted in a swamp in the back of your piece.

Your foreman is being paid commission on the money that you earn (note that this does not apply in all companies, as some foremen and supervisory staff are on salary). The more you plant, the more he/she makes. This simple fact ensures that most foremen will be looking out for your best interests. You should not have to wait for trees, rides, etc. Keep in mind, however, that a foreman has a number of people to look after at the same time, and often tries not to play favorites. Be patient, for example, when the crew arrives in a brand-new block, sight unseen, and the foreman needs a short while to get oriented and set everybody up.

Always make friends with the cook. There is no worse person to have as an enemy. Cooks really run the camp - the “supervisor” is just a sham. Cooks generally want three things from planters:

1. Feedback - the cook wants to hear about it if it was good. If it wasn’t so great, tact is in order.

2. Assistance when necessary - the cooks works fifteen to eighteen hours/day. If they ask for assistance making a propane tank change, unloading a food order, etc., help out immediately.

3. Information about your needs - tell the cook if you are a vegetarian, allergic to anything, etc.

Always keep a positive attitude. Accept the fact that your production will be down during your initial training period (three weeks or even a full month), and try to concentrate on learning to plant trees properly and efficiently, rather than focusing on simply slamming them in the ground quickly. Even veteran planters will be discouraged by their inability to plant as well at the start of May as they could at the end of the previous summer. Do not put a lot of stress upon yourself while you are learning. A lot of factors can get you down: underbid blocks, bugs, rain, cold, and camp life. Nothing will affect your productivity more than feeling down or depressed.

Production Planting

Once the basics of planting are acquired and the quality is up to required standards, the production can be focused upon. The rate at which trees are planted is an important element in determining the efficiency of the person involved. In order to maximize production, the planter must be willing to work hard and be ready to learn what is both productive and what can be detrimental to production and quality. Minimum Quality standards must NEVER be sacrificed for production.

Every planting crew has planters of varying speeds. There are the legends, whose worst days are over $300, and who often hit $400+ per day. Then there are the average planters, $150-$200, and the low-ballers, who struggle to make $150. Where do you want to be? Think of it this way: no matter what happens, you are going to be on the block between eight and ten hours. You will sweat, freeze, get wet, bake, get chewed by bugs, become tired, get bored, or whatever. If you are going to be there, you might as well make as much money as possible. You might as well work hard and try to be a highballer.

Most importantly, you must SET AND ACHIEVE optimistic but realistic GOALS. Three important goals include the season’s goal (ie. $12,000 for a vet for the period from early May through the start of August), a daily average goal ($220/day before camp), an hourly goal (ie. “I will finish this first run by 8:25am”). If you want to make serious money, figure out the first two goals that I just mentioned: how much you want to make in a season, and how much you therefore need to make per day to achieve this goal. No matter what, keep in mind that to achieve goals, you must be aware of timing. Always try to “beat the clock”. Some other tips:

- Go right away. In the morning, get out there and have your first tree in the ground within five minutes of getting to your cache. Getting started is the hardest part. After the first box, the day will pass quickly. Lots of planters take half an hour or more to get going, that’s fifteen bucks for the highballer. If you need to, bag up the night before (check with your foreman about this, because on many contracts it is not allowed).

- Don’t ever stop while the bags are on! Never come off the block without bagging out (unless you’re being chased off by a bear, or there is a safety/medical emergency of some sort).

- Take short breaks. Exercise physiologists agree that brief periods of relaxation are essential for consistent long-term muscular performance. When you have the bags on, plant. When you don’t, sit down and STOP. For instance, when you come back to bag up, do so and then quickly have a bite to eat, resting for a minute or two.

- Plant good quality. You will not highball until you master quality. Replanting will ruin your daily average, mood, and focus. Do it right the first time.

- Eat the right food. On the block, you need food that will give you immediate energy. This means things like fruit, juice, candy, chocolate, granola, chips, etc. Heavy solid food, like meat and cheese, will feel like lead in your gut and not give you much immediate energy.

- Drink lots of water. Even if you don’t feel thirsty on a cool day, make yourself drink. Water allows your muscles to function efficiently. If your urine is not clear, you need more water. Also, try to drink it in a number of moderated sips, rather than coming back after your third run and trying to down an entire 4 litre jug. Large quantities at once will only make you queasy, or feel like your intestines are about to explode.

- Bag up before you sit down to smoke, eat, etc., then once you’re ready, get up and GO! The only drawback is that many checkers will not be happy if they come up to your cache and see your planting bags lying on the ground with trees in them.

- Adjust your planting style to the land and checker. This is perhaps the most crucial thing. You have to figure out whether to area or line plant, whether or not to back-fill, where to screef, how to divide land up if you are area planting, how to divide the bad land and the cream, etc.

- If you are a rookie with good quality, and have put in your first couple weeks, ask one of the veterans if you can plant with them for a day or so. If they agree, approach the foreman about it. Lots of experienced planters will allow this, providing that you exercise due care in their piece, and the experience will probably result in you planting faster. Try to keep up with the vet, but NEVER sacrifice quality to do so, or they will probably kick you out of their piece. It may be frustrating because they look like they are relaxed and effortlessly outplanting you, and seem to be paying little attention to you slaving away behind them. But this is a façade – usually they will pay very close attention to your work, even if it does not look like they are.

- Get away from planting after work. Mediocre planters do not focus on the job when planting, and talk about it when not planting. Good planters separate work and leisure. Get your mind off the job after supper.

- Treat yourself. Every planter has his or her own idiosyncrasies (ie. a cigarette after a bag-up, a can of coke once you hit $100 for the day, etc.). Plan, work hard, and indulge yourself.

- Sleep a lot. Eight hours of uninterrupted sleep, without booze, is the best way to keep yourself in shape. Sleep is also the easiest thing to skimp on, and a lack of sleep is the first thing that will ruin your ability to work.

When you learn to plant, unless you are doing trenches, mounds, or other specific forms of site prep, you will probably learn to plant by putting in a row of trees, then following them back to put in another row, etc. This works well on low-priced open ground, but will ruin you if you try it in fragmented pieces, hillsides, slash, windrows, etc. You must eventually learn to area plant. Area planting involves picking out a small area with natural boundaries, like fallen logs, bushes, and broken trees. Once you have a small area in mind, you can then figure out roughly how many trees it will take, and how to most efficiently move between them. You then plant the trees, and move along to an adjacent area, where you repeat the process.

Area planting is hard to learn, but after a day or two of practice, you get the hang of seeing spacing and areas, and it becomes automatic. And once you know how to do it, you’ll go much faster in most kinds of land than you would just by doing lines. Don’t worry too much about this now, but once you’ve mastered line planting, pacing, and good quality, ask if you can plant with a vet, who will quickly teach you area planting (you’ll probably be mildly creamed out in the process, but consider this a necessary cost of learning a valuable lesson).

Hectare Planting

In a very few parts of Ontario and more places in BC, you will find work doing what is called “hectare planting.” What this means is that instead of being paid to plant each tree, you get paid per hectare of land that you plant at the correct density of trees. Hectare planting can be phenomenally lucrative, but you need to know how to hectare plant. The single most important thing to remember in hectare planting is to plant as few trees as possible when covering your piece. You get paid by area, not numbers.

- Put “show boats” at the front. Always make sure that the trees along the road are nicely spaced and sexy looking. They will be the first impression the checker gets when he/she walks on the land (actually, this applies to all types of planting).

- Space as far off tree lines and slash piles as possible. Gamble and go twice the required distance, with a few odd ones thrown in between for show.

- Don’t rip off the people on the piece next to you - this means that you should space half the contract distance between trees off the flag line. There is nothing more infuriating than coming to the edge of your piece only to realize that the person next to you has spaced three meters from the dividing line. Clever hectare planting should be at the expense of the logging company, not your fellow planters.

- Don’t plant high density. This will only cost you and your partner money. Remember, you’re getting paid to cover land. If you are getting paid $200 per hectare, you’ll get paid $200 whether it takes 1000 trees or 1600 trees. Any trees planted over the designated density are planted for free.

- Ask your foreman what the minimal tolerable number of trees per hectare is, and stay as close to that as possible. Because of varying rules, being under-density can result in either the entire block failing and everyone getting mad at you, OR your own piece being “excluded” from the rest of the block, and you alone getting no payment while everyone else shakes their head at your misfortune.

- Take plots on yourself. Few things are slower and more tedious than increasing your density after you’ve finished an area too sparsely. A general rule of safety is to take two plots after every bag-up. Sure, it takes two minutes, but that’s much less than the time to poke two hundred additional trees in between a thousand others that you’ve already planted.

- Keep your mouth shut about your clever tactics. Few things are more ridiculous than, for instance, somebody bragging about how they planted six meters off the tree line when the checker is within earshot. The last thing that you want to do is make the checkers think that you’re trying to deceive them. Some checkers actually think that tree planters are friendly yet simple beings who are not that bright.

By the way, you should know the difference between internal and external checkers. The external checker will be the representative of the licensee that your company is working for, or the ministry of forests. This person has little or no tolerance for unprofessionalism, and he or she is the person who ultimately determines what you get paid. In contrast, the internal checker will be someone who works for your own company. These people perform quality checks on your work on an ongoing basis, so that the foreman and supervisor are confident enough to “release” the block for official payment assessment by the licensee. The internal checkers are sometimes looked upon as ‘enemies’ by planters, since they are usually the ones who instigate replanting. However, the truth is that these staff members are there to help you in the long run. A good internal checker will not simply say “good” or “bad,” but will instead work with planters from the start to ensure that quality never gets to the point of “bad,” through helping with training, constant monitoring of planting progress, etc. The only drawback is that often the checking staff is spread too thin to be able to spend as much time with each individual planter as they would like to.

Some companies do not use dedicated internal checkers. Instead, they hire tree runners to assist with delivering trees to planters, and the foremen are solely responsible for monitoring quality.

Medical Advice for Planters

Your body will suffer wear and tear for two major reasons: the wear and tear of the actual muscular movements of planting, and the effects of exhaustion. Taking care of yourself will prevent a lot of problems from arising, and will make you more comfortable.

Here are some things to keep in mind when planting:

- Eat enough. Do not skimp on food. Women should realize that planting is inherently a major weight-loss clinic, and shouldn’t even think about dieting. You will burn 5000-7000 calories per day minimum while planting, while eating more than you ever did in the city. You will get in amazing shape. You will be hard as a rock. Your jeans will be baggy. Kate Moss types do not belong in the bush.

- Have a good camp set-up. If you don’t sleep well and can’t be comfortable in your tent, you’ll hate planting and be miserable, tired, etc. Have a warm sleeping bag, dry and bug-free tent, soft Therm-a-rest, etc.

Things not to do when planting:

- Do not stretch in the morning if you have not warmed up with aerobic exercise. Stretching unexercised muscles damages them. Stretch after work.

- If you injure something, don’t use it. I would advise against stretching of sprains, and working injured muscles or joints usually makes things worse. Treatment for sprains, tendonitis, bursitis, and back injuries involves immobilization or restriction of range of motion, often accompanied with physical therapy.

- If you are sick, get some rest. Your body will heal while it rests.

- Be skeptical about so-called “non-Western medical treatments.” Some herbal medications do work really well, but others are of questionable use.

In some companies, support staff will hassle planters who complain of illness, because the number one thing in a foreman’s mind is production. However, in the long run, you will do far more damage to yourself and lower your overall production by working when sick or injured than by taking time off. You may feel guilty, or bored, and just antsy because your body is pumped to plant but you have to sit around. Taking time off will allow your body to heal. If you are losing two hundred bucks a day plus camp costs sitting around, this is annoying. But if you work when sick, you are working below capacity, and you will prolong your illness.

Planting techniques that prevent medical problems:

- Use a staff instead of a D-handled shovel. This can help eliminate the claw, tendonitis, bursitis, and elbow pain (from impact shock). Staves feel funny to learn on, but work much better in the long run. The use of a staff eliminates a major cause of planter medical problems. Of course, this sounds strange coming from a BC planter since the D-handle is the standard issue shovel in that province.

- Do not overload your bags. Most people plant far, far better with light loads than with heavy ones. Heavy bags can take a long time (demoralizing you) and strain your back. Aim for a bag-up that you can finish in about an hour at most.

- Do not use your back bag. A filled back bag gets lifted every time you bend down to plant a tree. This places incredible strain on your lumbar (lower) back vertebrae and muscles. Use the side bags only, whenever possible. Trust me, this makes a huge difference.

- Use waist straps to carry as much of the weight as possible. This reduces back stress considerably. Use the shoulder straps as little as possible.

- Wear two pairs of socks to prevent blisters.

- Wear appropriate hand protection: webbed gloves are often used. [Note: I have never worn gloves, and shake my head at people who do. They are an added item to worry about, and slow down the withdrawal of seedlings from the draw bag - however, I morally am obligated to point out that the use of gloves is an option, and it is in your best health interests to wear them if you are working with seedlings treated with pesticides].

- Protect yourself from the sun. Wear a sunhat and cover your ears. Wear suntan lotion. If you can get clear UV protectors, they might be useful, and they double as eye protection from twigs, etc. Tinted sunglasses, however, are useless.

- Drink lots of water, even on cool days. Loss of fluids means muscle cramps, bad sleep, headaches, etc. Your urine should be almost clear. If there is any hint of colour, you are short of fluid.

How to Treat Problems:

Blisters - put moleskin (or even duct tape) over it to prevent it from further rubbing. Change this daily. If the blister pops, clean it daily with water and mild soap. At night, take off the duct tape or moleskin to let it dry out. Remember, a blister emerges because of a problem with your boots. Deal with your boots, the root of the problem. Wear more socks.

Tendonitis - If it is hard to move your hand, and you feel and hear a creaking sound in your elbow, forearm, or wrist (and sometimes in your fingers) you may have tendonitis or bursitis. You can try to change planting hands (ie. plant with your shovel hand, use your planting hand for the shovel). Severe tendonitis demands immobilization, rest, and frequent application of moist heat, not cold packs.

Sore Muscles - go for a short (20-30 minute) walk after dinner, or play hackysack, anything to get you moving for a little while. This will do marvels for you. Stretch: twenty minutes of simple stretches of hamstrings, quads, calves, etc. feels great.

Sore Back - Stop using the back bag. Use the waistbelt more. Minimize use of shoulder straps. If it really hurts (sharp pains especially), do not plant - go see a doctor. Yoga, if you know how and have a warm room, is a miracle worker. Mind you, I’ve never done yoga, but I hear it’s helpful.

The Claw - Play with silly putty, meditation balls, whatever it takes to move your fingers in a variety of ways. Buy a staff.

Sunburn - First aid cream. Wear some clothes or a sunhat. Be careful.

Cold or Flu - Take a day or so off to sleep. Echinacea won’t cure it but it is a good organic way to make it feel way, way better.

For other infections or diseases, go see a doctor, pronto. If you don’t deal with it, it might get worse. Stomach disorders often need antibiotics to be treated, and can rapidly get out of control. PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU GO TO A DOCTOR, they usually put the bill through WCB as being work-related. WCB then calls your company’s office, and the office calls the supervisor, and the supervisor checks with the first aid attendant, because there is not an internal paper trail. Then the first aid attendant says, “Well, so and so didn’t tell me that he/she went to a doctor.” Then everybody gets stressed because the proper paper trail did not get completed. So PLEASE, PLEASE, whenever you go to a doctor during planting season, even if it seems inconsequential to you, MAKE SURE that you tell the first aid attendant and supervisor!

Sleep

Sleep is the single most important health-maintenance, disease prevention, and healing activity that the human body engages in. A typical adult needs nine hours of sleep per night, though very few people ever bother getting this. Sleep deprivation is cumulative, and needs to be made up by sleeping in at some point. Most tree planters are sleep deprived.

Some causes of sleep deprivation include:

- Caffeine. This stays in your system for up to eight hours. Amphetamines, which are similar, will stay in your system for twelve to fourteen hours. These stimulants will interfere with the deep-sleep portion of the sleep cycle, so even if you sleep, the drug is working on you. Many soft drinks, chocolate, coffee, and non-herbal teas contain caffeine.

- Alcohol. Even though it helps induce sleep, alcohol massively disrupts the sleep cycle.

- Not enough time in bed.

- Discomfort. Being cold, bug eaten, sleeping on lumps or wet, all interfere with sleep.

- Any kind of sleep interruption, such as getting up, waking up, or being disturbed by a bed partner.

Short term effects of sleep deprivation include:

- General fatigue and drowsiness.

- Memory loss and difficulty with many mental tasks (calculating, planning, problem solving).

- Reduced attention span.

- Difficulty with reading, writing, etc.

Long term effects of sleep deprivation include:

- Greatly increased incidence of disease. More than fifty percent of shift workers have stomach disorders, and there are hundreds of studies showing increased susceptibility to disease for those who are even moderately sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation has been experimentally used to kill animals. It’s also used as a part of human torture in the Third World. Any tree planter will tell you that late June is the time of stomach disorders, flu, the “runs,” and general feelings of misery. This is about eighty percent due to cumulative sleep deprivation. Planters who get back from a spring season often report sleeping for twelve hours per day for the first week back.

- Changes in blood and muscular enzymes. The effects of this include feelings of lethargy and exhaustion (what planters call “burnout”), as well as decreased cardiovascular and muscular efficiency. Essentially, sleep deprivation will make your body less and less able to metabolize food and to use energy efficiently. Studies show that sleep deprived athletes markedly under-perform their well-rested counterparts.

The best planters I know are all sleep devotees - they are in bed by 9pm every night, and don’t drink like mad on nights off. Sleep will have a direct effect on your mood, health, and income. Get lots of rest.

Preventing Tree Planting Injuries

Tree planters in BC report hundreds of work-related injuries each season. These injuries occur mostly to the muscles, tendons, nerves, and ligaments, and are due largely to the physical demands of tree planting. The reforestation industry group that includes tree planters has an average annual rate of about 22 injury claims per 100 workers. One reason for these injuries may be the pace of work - many tree planters try to plant as many trees as possible, as fast as possible. Depending on the terrain, an experienced tree planter can plant from 100 to 400+ trees per hour, thousands per day. The work is strenuous. Good planting techniques, along with maintaining good physical fitness and choosing an appropriate shovel, are key to preventing injury.

Based on planting 1600 trees per day, a tree planter lifts a cumulative weight of over 1000 kilograms, bends more than 200 times per hour, drives the shovel into the ground more than 200 times per hour, and travels about sixteen kilometres on foot while carrying heavy loads of seedlings. The way that these activities are performed, for example, forcefully gripping the shovel and trees, and twisting and bending the wrists, can contribute to the injuries.

Here are some ways to help prevent injury and disease:

- Pre-condition your body, phase-in to work, and pace yourself.

- Choose the appropriate shovel.

- Recognize early signs and symptoms of injury.

- Use good planting techniques.

Between planting seasons, your body adjusts to less demanding physical activities that do not involve the physical requirements of planting trees. Whether you are a first-time tree planter or a veteran returning for another season, your body needs to adjust gradually to new physical demands. Muscular aches and pains are common during the first week of planting, but the effects of these aches and pains can be reduced by conditioning your body - for example, by running, biking, hiking, weight training, etc. - BEFORE the season begins. When you start planting at the beginning of the season, pace yourself by working slower, carrying and planting fewer trees, or working shorter days to get your body used to the work. Stretch your back and shoulders from time to time. Relax your hand muscles throughout the day by opening and closing your fingers frequently.

Choose a shovel that is the right length for you. If the shovel is too long or too short, it will not allow you to keep a healthy posture - your back straight, not hunched over. Because shovels are carried and lifted up and down all day, they should be lightweight. A straight-handled shovel is preferable because it keeps your wrists straight and positioned to get the most power. A D-handled shovel may sometimes be lighter in weight, making it easier to carry, but using one can result in more bending of the wrist. This is especially true when using the shovel to make the hole. Keeping your wrists straight helps reduce the risk of injury to your wrists and arms. Some planters keep a number of different shovels on hand to accommodate different planting conditions.

Numbness, tingling, swelling, redness, and pain in the wrists, shoulders, or back are possible signs and symptoms of injury. If you continue to plant when injured, the symptoms could progress into a more serious condition. If you experience signs or symptoms of injury, take appropriate action.

To help minimize signs and symptoms of injury:

- Move to softer ground, if possible, rather than pounding too hard to start a hole (sometimes not feasible).

- Change hands regularly, to avoid overusing them.

- Use your foot and leg to drive the shovel in and open the hole, not just your arms and back.

- Keep your wrists straight as much as possible.

- Loosen your grip on the shovel and the seedling.

- Check your technique routinely to ensure you are using proper posture and keeping your wrists straight.

- Bend your knees when bending over.

IF YOU ARE STARTING TO GET A SORE WRIST AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON, WHICH IS A POTENTIAL SIGN OF TENDONITIS, CONSIDERING PLANTING WITH THE OPPOSITE HAND FOR A DAY OR TWO.

Planting with the opposite hand feels very awkward at first, and realistically takes about two days to get up to full speed, but many vets who plant for several years will take this approach at least once in their planting career due to some sort of injury or health-issue. Some of these vets then appreciate and take advantage of the fact that they can plant with either hand.

The Five Steps in Planting a Tree:

1. Looking for a spot - When looking for a place to plant, tap your shovel lightly on the ground until you find suitable ground. Avoid thrusting the shovel forcefully. Sometimes you will hit rock while looking for a spot. In such cases, pushing more forcefully than needed on the shovel may cause unnecessary impact to the wrist and arms.

2. Screefing - Screefing is removing the duff (rotting vegetation) that covers the ground to expose the dirt below. There are two ways to do this depending on ground conditions. If the layer of duff is thick, screef with your shovel. To do this, stand with your legs apart and knees slightly bent. Hold the shovel directly above the target area and keep your wrists straight as much as possible. Use frequent shallow scoops in a front-to-back motion. Using fewer, more forceful scoops, digging aggressively, or twisting your wrists to screef can contribute to wrist and arm injuries. If the duff is thin, you can boot screef safely by bending your leg at the knee in a forward-backward direction. Avoid moving your legs from side to side - this could contribute to a knee strain. Note that a large number of contracts in Western Canada do NOT ask for screefing any more. The new style is “LFH” planting or “FH” planting, which means that the seedlings get planted in undisturbed ground, through the fungus and humus layers of vegetation. The “L” stands for “litter,” or the sticks and twigs and other garbage on the surface of your piece, although usually you are not allowed to plant the trees in these materials. Your foreman, checker, or supervisor will advise you more on this specification.

3. Making the Hole - In this step, you need to make a hole deep enough to plant the tree roots. This step can be hazardous to your wrists because of the potentially high impact forces involved in forcing the blade into the ground. To avoid wrist injury, keep your arms and wrists loose on the handle of the shovel when impact occurs. Remember to keep your wrist as straight as possible - try not to let it bend as the shovel impacts the ground. Except in very soft ground, avoid making the hole with just one impact - instead, consider inserting the blade in the ground and loosening the dirt twice for each hole. First, insert the shovel about half the required depth, then push or pull on the shovel handle with your arm (not just your wrist) to loosen the dirt. Then pull the shovel out of the ground and repeat this procedure to achieve the total required depth. In very hard conditions, you may need to use more force to make a hole. To do this, put some of your body weight on the shovel by placing your foot on the top of the blade and moving the shovel handle back and forth at the same time. If necessary, lean your body directly against the shovel to help open the hole.

4. Placing the Tree in the Ground - To place the tree in the ground, grip the seedling loosely with the palm of your hand and bend slightly at the knees. Guide the roots of the seedling along the shovel blade to the bottom of the hole. Keep your wrists straight as much as possible - twisting the wrist repeatedly can increase the risk of injuries.

5. Closing the Hole - There are two ways to do the final step, closing the hole around the seedling. The first is kicking, which involves pulling your shovel out and kicking down on the dirt with your heel near the base of the tree. Avoid using unnecessary, excessive force to close the hole. The second method, back-cutting, is a “requirement” in some contracts. After the seedling is placed into the ground, pull your shovel out and insert it behind the seedling. Pull the handle of the shovel away from the seedling to close the bottom of the hole. Then pull your shovel out and give the ground near the base of the tree a light tap with the heel of your boot.

Women’s Planting Advisory

[Please note that I didn’t write this section … I had an “expert,” a female, write it for me!]

Women planters have special health and planting concerns. Women planters can and sometimes do plant as well and as productively as male planters. However, because the female body is different from the male, here are some suggestions about dealing with the planting world.

Health Suggestions:

- Be prepared, menstruation wise, on the block. It can be embarrassing or even impossible to get taken back to camp for the necessary supplies. It’s always a good idea to have some spares around. The girls say, “Tampons are like cigarettes ... if somebody doesn’t have any, you share. The alternative is not nice.”

- If you use tampons, use the ones that have plastic applicators. You don’t want to use dirty hands with pesticides on them. Also recommended: bring some medical gloves or sandwich baggies, which can be used in emergency situations.

- Used tampons and pads smell of blood, which may attract bears (although this has never really been scientifically proven). Wrap them in plastic and bury them in your land. Don’t throw them in the garbage box at your cache – if nothing else, avoid this approach out of respect for other planters who also use the garbage boxes.

- You would be well advised to wash private regions regularly. The sweat and heat of planting and most planters’ general filthiness are a recipe for yeast (and other) infections. Speaking of which, buy a pack of “Monistat” or other yeast infection medications just in case.

- Wet-Ones baby diaper wipes back at camp are also a good substitute when you cannot or do not want to take a full shower.

Planting Suggestions for Female Planters:

- Resist the urge to carry as much weight as bigger male planters. Women planters tend to have smaller and less muscular bodies than men, so they should not overload themselves. Most women will benefit from doing multiple small and light bag-ups, instead of a few heavy bags.

- Use your hips. It’s easier for women to carry weight on their hips, and it is certainly healthier for your shoulders and lower back. Get BushPro’s extra-padded belt.

- Modify your shovel. The typical BushPro/Carrant shovel is designed for a large male planter. Chances are that you are lighter and shorter than the average male. Women also have genetically-engineered less upper body muscle than men, and so smaller and lighter shovels can make an enormous difference in how you feel after a long day of work. Either buy a short shovel or have a hardware store modify your shaft. Cut the blade down. If you set the tip of the shovel on the ground, and the handle is above waist height, your shovel is too long.

- A solid sports bra will be worth its weight in gold if you are even moderately endowed.

Silviculture Practices and Seedling Physiology

Are current reforestation practices in British Columbia creating natural and healthy forests? Are we converting natural forests into single-species monocultures? After all, isn’t reforestation in British Columbia done simply to grow timber for future harvest? Doesn’t it make sense to reforest each site with only one species of tree - the one that can bring the greatest profit?

Suprisingly, the answer is no. The first reason is that nature doesn’t necessarily play along with anyone’s bottom line. In fact, many commercial attempts to create single-species forests in BC have failed. The second reason involves the BCFS and the Forest Act. Long before forest companies begin logging a site, they must provide detailed plans for its reforestation. These plans must reflect forest management practices which aim to maintain healthy ecosystems. In other words, trees can only be planted where they could naturally occur. This is required by law.

Natural monocultures (ie. one major species) are common. Anyone who has seen the vast stretches of lodgepole pine in the Cariboo region, or mature hemlock forests on the southern coast, can attest to that. Thirty-two percent of the area harvested in BC is monoculture forest. In the 1970’s, some forest managers experimented with single-species plantings, in particular high value coastal Douglas Fir. Few of the attempts turned out as hoped: in some cases the mortality rate of the fir seedlings was high. These plantations failed because basic principles of forest ecology were ignored. In other words, Douglas fir was the wrong species to grow on those sites.

Today, through experience and research, we have a better understanding of forest ecology and how to regenerate forests. The key to success lies in understanding the environmental requirements of each tree species to reproduce and grow. When single-species plantings are carried out, foresters know and plan for the fact that on average, an equal or greater number of “naturals” will join the planted seedlings. It is Nature’s way of restoring balance and diversity.

In Nature, when a forest re-establishes itself after a fire or insect infestation, a biological cycle is begun. Over the years, the basic stages of this cycle - establishment, young forest, maturity, old growth - are played out according to the special conditions of each site. Take a forest on southern Vancouver Island. In the first few years, Western Hemlock, Douglas Fir, and Western Red Cedar all struggle to establish themselves. At fifteen years, Douglas-fir predominates; at fifty years, it shares the site with western hemlock. When the forest reaches the mature phase in another two-to-three hundred years, Western Red Cedar has also taken its place in the forest mix. Some forest ecosystems never reach the final stage of old growth. Frequently, a natural interruption, such as a fire, insects, or wind, begins a new cycle before the old one is complete.

Though carried out on a vastly different scale, good forest management has much in common with tending a home garden. Both gardeners and foresters have to know the individual needs of each species they grow. Climate, soil, and terrain also play their part in creating unique ecosystems.

The huge strides in our knowledge of how forests work have resulted in greatly improved forest management practices. In the past, most of the forest management efforts went into the harvest (ie. logging). Under current law, we now must take a harvest-to-harvest outlook. Along with the right to harvest comes the responsibility for making sure each site is reforested with healthy seedlings, free from excessive brush competition.

One of the keys to an ecosystem-based management in BC’s forests is a detailed plan called the pre-harvest silviculture prescription (PHSP). Timber harvesters must create a PHSP for each site, describing not only how the site will be harvested, but also how it will be reforested. The PHSP must also describe how the young trees will be protected for their first ten to fifteen years. Other resource values, such as water, wildlife, and recreation, must be recognized and accommodated. The PHSP can be reviewed by the public and must be approved by the local Forest Service district manager before logging can begin. The PHSP and other legal requirements ensure that companies monitor and protect reforested sites until the young trees are free of harmful vegetation or brush competition. Periodic surveys must be done to make sure that sufficient numbers of the correct tree species are growing, with adequate size and spacing. If necessary, brush control or other types of tending must be carried out by the forest companies. In the end, timber harvesters are released from their legal obligations only when the Forest Service judges the site to be satisfactorily reforested with healthy free-growing trees.

Seedling Physiology

Establishing new forests on British Columbia’s forest lands is a complex biological and logistical job. Millions of seedlings are grown every year at forest nurseries for thousands of planting sites around the province. The first steps in growing a new forest are the hardest and it takes a team effort to ensure the lift-to-plant sequence is successful. Everybody working in reforestation influences how many trees will live and grow to become a new forest. At every step, preventing seedling mortality or loss of vigor means protecting seedlings from extreme of temperatures and moisture, and from physical damage. Conducting a successful lift-to-plant sequence can only be done if everybody understands a few basics of seedling physiology.

During photosynthesis, seedlings use light, moisture, nutrients, and carbon dioxide to produce carbohydrates - the building blocks of maintenance and growth. During respiration, seedlings use carbohydrates produced during photosynthesis to repair and maintain tissues. This process produces heat. As in photosynthesis, the rate of respiration depends on temperature, light, and moisture conditions around the seedling. As long as photosynthesis exceeds respiration, seedlings can grow. When respiration exceeds photosynthesis for an extended time, seedlings die. High temperatures increase respiration and, if not checked, can lead to an escalating cycle of increasing temperatures and increasing respiration. In the dark, seedlings cannot photosynthesize, but they continue to respire. With proper storage and handling, respiration can be reduced.

Water is essential to all seedling processes. Too little or too much water can damage seedlings by interfering with respiration and photosynthesis. Most water is lost, or transpired, from leaves through regulatory pores called stomata. The waxy coating on the leaves further limits water loss. Roots normally absorb water from the soil and have little protection from desiccation. Root tips and fine roots will die quickly if allowed to dry out. In the normal soil environment, with adequate moisture, healthy seedlings minimize transpiration by closing stomata and taking up moisture through the roots. In storage, or exposed during handling or transport, seedlings are unable to replenish lost water.

Seedling tissues are not as well developed and protective as those of mature trees, and so damage easily. Seedlings react to injury in the same way the human body reacts to injury: metabolic processes increase to repair damaged tissue. This requires energy - energy that cannot be replaced until after planting when photosynthesis begins. Damaged tissue is repaired before growth begins. All cell repair processes are energy demanding, reducing the seedling’s vigor and capability to withstand planting stress.

As seedlings are lifted at the nursery, stresses begin to accumulate and seedling vigor can only decrease until planting. Every effort must be taken to lessen declining seedling vigor. Critical steps in the lift-to-plant sequence where stresses can be inadvertently imposed are: nursery lift, thawing, shipping, on-site storage, and planting. At every step, you should minimize temperature fluctuations, prevent water loss, and avoid physical damage.

The Nursery Lift

Spring planting stock is used in most reforestation programs. Seedlings are lifted in late fall when the stock is fully dormant. They are immediately sorted, packaged, and placed in cold storage until required the following spring. Bare-root stock-types need special handling as the exposed roots are sensitive to drying.

Seedlings of acceptable quality are wrapped in small bundles and packed into boxes where humidity soon reaches 100%. Boxes are usually freezer-stored in cold-storage facilities (reefers) at a constant controlled temperature of -1^oC to -2^oC. Freezing reduces respiration, maintains dormancy, and inhibits the formation of disease molds.

Summer planting stock is lifted in June, July, and August. Although its top growth is partially dormant, summer planting stock is still very physiologically active. Roots are particularly active and vulnerable to damage. The essence of “hot-lifting” and “hot-planting” is speed: lifting, packaging, shipping, and planting must be completed within a few days. Special care is essential so that active roots are not exposed to drying conditions or subjected to physical damage between the nursery and the site.

Seedling Treatment

Planting operations must take into account the thawing schedules of different stock-types. Before delivery, the tops and roots must be carefully and evenly thawed: about nineteen days for container stock, and about five days for bare-root. Thawing too quickly damages tissues.

When seedlings are moved from the controlled environment of the reefer to transport vehicles with less controllable temperatures, strict attention must be paid to box temperatures. Increased temperatures increase respiration, which then increases temperatures.

How to Minimize Temperature Fluctuations:

- Maintain temperature at 1-2^oC for spring planting stock; 5-6^oC for summer planting stock.

- Use the right type of vehicle; reefers for long distances, covered vans with good ventilation for shorter trips.

- Be sure the truck bed is insulated from the exhaust system.

- Check box temperatures to ensure seedlings are not overheating.

- Ensure that there is air flow around all sides of the boxes on longer trips. For short trips, cover the boxes securely with reflective tarps, keeping the white side up.

- Avoid transporting in the heat of mid-day.

- Park in the shade.

How to Minimize Water Loss:

- Stand seedlings up in the boxes and water to keep the roots moist and reduce temperatures.

- Some seedlings may come packaged in “dairy crate” style plastic cartons. This makes watering the seedlings in transit and at the planting site easier.

- Replace or repair punctured boxes to prevent moisture loss, inspect for seedling damage, and flushing.

Improper handling injures seedlings, and this injury is repaired only at the expense of the seedling’s vigor. Handle boxes carefully. Bouncing boxes around in the back of a pickup, ATV, or trailer causes physical damage, shock, and stress. Be sure boxes are firmly packed and use properly spaced racks. Do not drop, throw, or crush boxes together. The boxes may not break, but fine seedling roots will. Note: it is often good to keep several dozen pieces of wooden “one by three” in the back of all the FIST’s (Forest Industry Seedling Transport?) and canopy trucks, to use between layers of boxes to keep them spaced out, and more importantly, to keep them in better shape after being transported over bumpy roads. Boxes that have damage to the cardboard are often very difficult to transport on quads, and therefore, difficult to get to planters’ caches near the back of blocks. Another approach is to stagger the stacking of each row, so that the load does not slowly flatten out boxes on the bottom rows as the truck drives down bumpy roads.

At the planting site, short-term storage must be good if seedling vigor is to be maintained. Portable reefers provide a properly controlled but costly environment. In many situations, local innovation and initiative must be used to ensure that satisfactory alternative storage is developed.

How To Provide Proper On-Site Storage:

- Don’t leave boxes of trees in the back of the truck in warm weather.

- Select a field cache in the shade (timber, north slope, near streams, patches of snow) where there is good air circulation.

- Provide shelter by stringing a tarp over the cache; allow indirect light for active seedlings.

- Never stack boxes more than three high.

- Keep enough space between boxes for adequate air circulation.

- Check that temperatures for spring planting stock do not exceed 12^oC.

- Reflective tarps may be used to cover the boxes for short periods (1-2 hours) until proper storage is prepared.

Planters are the last people to handle trees. If everyone else in the lift-to-plant sequence has done a good job, the seedlings will arrive at the site in good condition. As was done for on-site storage, planters should not expose seedlings to temperature fluctuations and moisture losses.

How to Load Bags and Carry Trees:

- Check that planting bags are in good condition; holed or torn bags allow air to dry out the seedling roots.

- Maintain moist conditions around the root by placing moist absorbent material in the bags.

- Handle and unwrap bundles carefully. Do not wrench them apart. In plug stock, avoid loosening the rooting medium.

- Use reflective bag liner (a “silvicool” insert) to protect trees during carrying.

- Limit the number of trees carried during hot weather.

- Close the box after loading and use reflective tarps to protect the remaining trees in the box for an hour or two.

- Never store more than half a day’s supply of seedlings outside the on-site storage area.

- Bare-root stock-types require special attention. Before planting, dip seedling roots in warm water for no more than one minute. Separate bare-root trees by shaking the roots loose in the bag. Be careful not to damage the stem with the bundle string.

- Work with one tree at a time.

- During breaks, place planting bags in the shade. The preference would be to never stop planting while there are seedlings in your planting bags.

How to Plant a Tree Properly:

- Choose the best microsite.

- Maximize root contact with soil (not on LFH contracts, though).

- Plant the seedlings straight and to the correct depth.

- Check that the planting hole is deep enough for the root system.

- Tamp the root system firmly to prevent air pockets from forming and drying out the roots.

Within a few days, a well-planted, vigorous seedling will use its carbohydrate reserves to begin growing roots, absorb moisture and nutrients, and start photosynthesizing. The young seedling will then be well on its way to surviving and growing in the new environment - the culmination of a good team effort.

Stashing

Stashing is the illegal disposal of trees by burying, burning, dumping, etc. Trees are supposed to be planted, one at a time, not “strategically placed with no chance of growth.” Any persons caught or suspected of stashing trees will be terminated immediately. This is a constant problem, and one that is not treated lightly by foremen or supervisors. Some planters seem to think that they will be able to get away with stashing, without getting caught, and it seems that every year, someone gets caught and fired. We’ve seen a number of different methods: getting rid of trees one or two at a time, many at once, under rocks, stumps, in tree holes, in the woods off the block, and I’m sure we’ll see these disappointing practices again with each passing year.

Nowadays, it is fairly easy to determine when stashing is a potential issue on a block. Here’s one reason why: Modern day techniques mean that it is now possible to determine the exact area of a block with relative ease, by use of the Global Positioning System. All blocks are GPS’ed as standard procedure, which can give their exact size, down to about a hundredth of a hectare, accurate to usually within less than one percent. By comparing the “stated” total number of trees planted on a block, as claimed by the planters, and comparing this number with the “theoretical” number of trees planted on a block, determined by density plots and the GPS’ed size of the block, a discrepancy will show up if trees are stashed. Take this numerical example: On a ten hectare block, the crew claims to have planted 18,700 trees. As the quality plots are completed, the density is calculated to be 1700 trees/Ha. This would seem to say that if there are 1700 trees/Ha, and ten hectares, there are really 17,000 trees on the block, a discrepancy of 1,700 from what the crew claimed. This of course is a very simplified example, but on a small block, a very small number of trees missing shows up as a large percentage problem, and on a block of any reasonable size, such as twenty hectares or more, the statistical accuracy improves to the point where it is sufficient that discrepancies of under one percent can be detected. Most professional supervisors run all planted blocks through this statistical analysis as the numbers come in, which lets them know immediately if a problem seems to be developing. Once the support staff know that a problem exists, it’s not hard to find.

This is not the only method of catching stashing of course. There are other statistical approaches, the old “hide in the woods with binoculars trick,” random pacing off areas with hip chains to compare with planters’ tallies, simple “bad luck” for the planter, and others. To save yourself, your foreman, and your crew a lot of hassle (and to prevent possible criminal action against yourself if you are actually caught), be honest. Don’t try stashing, not even an “innocent” bundle. It’s not worth it.

From the rumours I’ve heard, and/or my own and some of my planters’ personal experiences, stashing is moderately prevalent in the Maritimes, and some areas of Ontario. It is a lot more subdued in British Columbia and Alberta. But then again, the planting culture in British Columbia and Alberta is more strongly engrained to resist stashing. If you think someone on your crew might be stashing, talk to your foreman or supervisor about it quietly. Remember, their actions can hurt you as much as themselves. As a foreman, I have seen several occasions where entire crews (and their foremen) have been fired because of the actions of a few guilty individuals, and I would not tolerate such an occurrence on my own crew. You wouldn’t want to be the innocent bystander who is harmed by this kind of behaviour, would you?

What is a Tree Planting Contract?

A planting contract is an agreement entered into by a tree planting contractor and the organization that wants trees planted, such as a lumber company (often referred to as the licensee) or a Ministry of Forests district.

Among other things, the contract declares:

- Location of cut-blocks to be planted.

- Number and species of trees to be planted.

- Planting specifications such as density, appropriate techniques and root media, etc.

- Rules of assessing the quality of planting.

- Dispute settlement mechanisms.

- A planting schedule (ie. dates that blocks must be finished).

- Safety, camp, and other employee regulations.

Contracts can be awarded by one of several methods:

- Open bidding.

- Preferred bidding.

- Direct award.

Open bidding means that each contractor views the blocks to be planted and, based on the contract specifications, submits a bid for the contract as a whole. The lowest bidder usually (but not always) gets the contract. Most government-administered planting works this way.

Preferred bidding is usually practiced by lumber companies that invite two or three planting contractors (whom they feel they can trust most highly) to bid on contracts. This often results in less of a squeeze on planters’ wages than straight open bidding, and often allows lumber companies to divide work among different contractors rather than awarding one contractor the whole thing.

Finally, a Direct Award involves a private lumber company offering a contract outright to a contractor. Direct awards are sometimes price-set, ie. the lumber company asks the contractor to do the job at a price which the lumber company determines, and if the contractor refuses, the work is offered to someone else. Direct awards are often used to entice planters to work for a company (ie. “It’s a direct award, they gave us the trees - we didn’t have to bid on it”), but are not necessarily lucrative.

Direct Awards are occasionally awarded with no price attached, where the contractor accepts the trees and then names his price after viewing the land to be planted. This is especially the case in certain southern Kootenays veteran companies, but is generally rare.

A tree planting company (such as Folklore, Silvaram, Natural Borders, etc.) is a legal entity that enters into an agreement (a contract) with somebody (usually either the Ministry of Forests or a logging and lumber company). The planting company basically agrees to plant the trees stipulated in the contract according to specifications. The planting company is responsible for hiring, supervising, and paying the planters, and providing accommodations, safety equipment, and transportation for the planters. As such, the company is subject to provincial regulations regarding its operations and employees, such as minimum wage laws, safety, camp, and transportation standards, and terms of employment, dismissal, etc.

Tree planters often complain about “low prices,” “lousy contracts,” and “low bidding.” I will try to explain how contracts are bid and awarded, how contractors go about choosing a contract, and about planter wages. There is also information about pseudo-legal practices of certain companies (bid stacking, illegal workers, etc.). The more you know about the business end of things, the better prepared you will be to evaluate your company. The most important thing to remember about bidding and tree planting is that the only part of the bid price that can change is the planter wage. Every company has to work with roughly the same profit margins, overhead (although some companies certainly don’t manage overhead very well), expenses (gas, vehicles, staff, insurance, equipment, bid deposits). This means that if a company wants to change its bid price, it will lower the planter wage.

When a logging company or Ministry Office puts together a planting contract, they specify a number of things, including number of trees to be planted, size and location of cutbacks, species, assessment procedures, tree handling rules, etc. The contracts are then opened to tender. Contractors view the cutbacks to be planted, and then submit a sealed bid on the whole contract to the mill or Ministry office.

The Ministry or mill will generally award the contract to the lowest bidder. If the lowest bidder accepts, they will get the contract, and have to put down a security deposit. If the lowest bidder does not accept the contract, the next-highest bidder is then offered the contract, and so on, up the list. Contractors receive a list of all the bids and prices, so they can see where they came in.

Here is a typical bidding scenario. The 100 Mile House MOF Office opens a bid on the spring 1998 contract (this is not real data – completely fictitious). Five companies view the work, and each submits their bids as follows:

Contractor Bid Price

Coast Range/Outland $350,000

Brinkman $600,000

Folklore Contracting $610,000

Natural Borders $620,000

Celtic $900,000

As you can see, the contractors’ bid prices tend to cluster around a mid-range. Contractors will most likely take on a contract where their bids are similar to others. In this case, Coast Range has come in with the low bid. They will therefore be offered the work first. They will look at the list of other companies’ bids, and note that they will be doing the work at half the price of other companies. They will think, “Maybe we screwed up.” Maybe they seriously underestimated the quality of the blocks, which would mean that their planters would be making very little money, etc.

The contract, if Coast Range didn’t take it, is offered next to Brinkman. Brinkman will probably take it, because their prices are pretty much in line with the majority of other companies’ prices. However, let’s pretend that in this specific instance, Brinkman doesn’t take it, because they have already been awarded a large amount of other lucrative work at the same time, and they don’t think they have the resources to do it all. Folklore is next, but because Jim has last minute jitters about dealing with so many small blocks and a camp full of idiots, he begs Kurt to pass on the bid, and instead takes a vacation to go play the slots in Las Vegas.

Next, Natural Borders is offered the job. They are in the same boat as Brinkman, with too much work, so they also pass. Finally, the job is offered to Celtic. Dave Wilson of Celtic grabs the job, because he has seen the bids, and knows that his planters will make a killing.

The planting company will have a total budget for wages (both planting and non-planting work). This is generally forty to fifty-five percent of the bid price. This means that if the company wants to pay its planters for things like camp setup, unloading trucks, etc., the money will come out of the tree price. Or vice versa: if the company increases the tree price, they will not be able to pay for as much work around camp, etc.

A company does not provide “free camp costs.” A few might say that they could, but the money would have to come out of the tree price to do so. This doesn’t work. You’ve heard the saying, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” Well, that also applies to camp costs.

Most companies will tend to have similar labour costs on contracts. Why? Because they are bidding against other contractors and because they will generally accept a contract only if their prices are similar to other contractors. This means that the contract would not necessarily have been way better if another company had done it. The differences between companies come down to things like business sense. Knowing what will be a good contract from non-financial perspectives helps (is the checking reasonable? how is the access?). So does the support staff. A well organized, hard working, and thoughtful group of checkers, foremen, and cooks makes all the difference in the world. Lack of organization is the single biggest threat to planter incomes.

How Does Select (Preferred) Bidding Work?

Most lumber companies that contract out their own reforestation (and brushing, spacing, thinning, etc.) do not have open bidding. They generally invite a few reputable companies to view and bid on the job. They select the contractor who offers the best combination of low price and quality work habits. This means that for select bidding (preferred bidding), the lowest bidder will not necessarily be awarded the contract. As anybody in the business knows, you don’t usually get the best possible job by choosing the lowest price. Low bid contractors don’t usually last long when it comes to select bidding. Preferred bidding usually works out well for the planter, because the competition for trees is limited, and because contractors know that low-balling the bidding will usually, in the long term, either get them thrown out of the running, or the planters will revolt at the prices paid.

Sometimes, select bidding creates a problem for planters. Why? Lumber companies know that they pay better money than the Ministry for planting contracts, and so they can manipulate companies. One way of doing this is to hold out the prospect of direct awards (see below). The companies that bid on contracts will fall all over themselves to do a good job for a low price, hoping that in future years they will be awarded trees, on which they’ll make fat margins. The company in question thus gets a low bid, which means low planter wages. They do not necessarily have to award the company the contract next year, and so can take advantage of gullible contractors.

Mills also could use select bidding to play contractors off against one another. For example, if a mill hires three contractors to plant its trees every year, it can tell the highest bidder what the lowest bidder’s prices were, which creates an incentive for them to lower their prices. Of course, the lowest bidder will not be told what the highest bidder’s price was. Another problem with select bidding is that (unlike with Ministry contracts), the logging company does not have to tell the planting company what the different companies’ bid prices were. This means that a company may have no way of comparing its prices to others’, and so does not necessarily know what it is getting into.

In some areas of BC there has allegedly been a steady entry of so-called “East Indian” companies into the world of planting. These companies are usually run by families, and are rumoured to be notorious for stacked bidding and for exploitation of illegal aliens and newly-arrived immigrants. In BC, bidders cannot legally stack bids for Ministry contracts, although in practice it is quite possible. Stacking bids means that a bidding group enters several bid prices. If one member of the group is awarded the contract (because it has the lowest price), it passes the contract up and other groups’ bids take over, until a bid price is reached that is just below that of another contractor who is not a member of the bidding group. This practice is illegal, and usually doesn’t happen because in order to do it, two companies (or more) need to work in collusion. The structure of planting company ownership in Canada (with the exception of the New Forest/Outland/Coast Range/Natural Borders alliance) is fragmented. This means that companies would not form alliances for purposes of bidding.

Rumour is that the colluding companies allegedly get around restrictions on stacking bids by having “various family members” bid on the same contract. So, James Singh would bid $80,000, John Singh would bid $90,000, Kevin Singh would bid $100,000, and Brinkman would bid $120,000. The lowest bidder gets the contract and passes it up the line until the highest possible price (Kevin Singh) gets it. Please note that these rumours are purely that, rumours, and I am not trying to act in a racist manner against any particular ethnic group. The names and numbers here are just random fictitious examples. However, one person has written to suggest that if you want a better example, check out the Ministry bid lists for summer 1996 work in Houston and Burns Lake. I myself have not seen these lists.

As mentioned, stacking bids is illegal, but there is little that the Ministry can do about it, because court challenges to bid stacking generally need to rely on explicit evidence of collusion. That is, it is the challenger’s job to prove that two companies are actively planning on stacking bids. To prove this, you have to prove that both companies will benefit from this arrangement, and to prove this you have to demonstrate financial links between companies (ie. cross ownership of shares, joint management, etc.). This is usually pretty hard to do.

Some Ministry districts have taken to not inviting or allowing certain groups of companies to bid, because of their frequently atrocious planting records. Some Ministries have taken to qualifying bidders. This means that in order to bid on a contract, the prospective bidder has to provide proof of successful past work, a business plan, etc. This practice, however, is rumoured to have led to an East Indian outfit from Quesnel taking the Ministry to court on charges of discrimination.