Overview of Tree Planter Training series

[Scooter]

Our revised and updated 2019 version of the Tree Planter Training series is now online. This series consists of a set of twenty videos about various topics, all of which are free to watch on YouTube, and the videos may be embedded on any tree planting company's website. This series was recorded in high quality 4K resolution. The next update of this video series will take place in December of 2023, in time for the 2024 season.

If you look in the other topics within this Training sub-forum, you can see text versions of the information presented in each of the videos. They're broken up into a set of eight videos that should be watched a couple months before the season starts, by people who want an idea of what the industry is all about, to help make a decision about whether or not to apply for a job as a tree planter. The other twelve videos are more specific to the actual task of planting trees, and should be watched at the start of your season, so you have an understanding of what's going on when you arrive on your first work site.

The material in this training series was based on a book called Step By Step, A Tree Planter's Handbook, which is available on Amazon: www.replant.ca/stepbystep

Step By Step contains all the information in this online training series, plus much much more. Please note that the information in these videos is just a fraction of the information available from the print book. The book also has quite a few chapters for topics that aren't covered in the videos below, such as: Vehicles, Camping Gear & Clothing, Coastal Planting, Getting a Job, Planting Throughout Canada, Logging, Working with Helicopters, and Additional Planting Techniques. In addition, the book has appendices about Plants, Animals, Birds, Insects, Tree Diseases, and an extensive Tree Planting Dictionary.

The Step By Step book is used a key part of the training framework at more than a dozen major tree planting companies throughout Canada. If you get a job as a first-time tree planter in Canada, there's a high chance that your company will require you to buy this book as part of your preparation for the season. Also, at 456 pages of full-size print, it's more of a textbook than a handbook. The videos and information on these online training pages are a great way to start understanding what tree planting is all about, but if you actually get a job as a planter, it's highly recommended that you buy a print copy of the book.


Videos that will help newcomers understand what the industry is all about:

http://www.replant.ca/overview.html


Videos that should be watched a couple days before you start to plant, so the info is fresh in your mind:

http://www.replant.ca/planting.html








Here's a general outline of what is included in this project. Please note that outline does NOT correspond exactly to the contents of Step By Step, A Tree Planter's Handbook. This outline and these videos are based upon parts of the book, but the book is much more extensive (the book currently has twenty-nine chapters, not just these twenty):

Section 01: Introduction to the Industry
- Introductory Thoughts
- History of BC's Tree Planting Industry
- The Modern BC Tree Planting Industry

Video 02: Why Do We Plant Trees?
- Introductory Thoughts
- Overview of Forest Management in BC
- Administration of Logging & Reforestation
- People Who Should Go Planting
- People Who Should Not Go Planting
- Some Common Myths About Planters

Section 03: Health
- Introductory Thoughts
- Nutrition
- Water/Hydration
- Alcohol, Drugs, & Tobacco
- Fitness & Avoiding Injuries
- Personal Protective Equipment
- Minimizing the Risk of Illness
- Mental Health

Video 04: Working Safely, Hazards
- Introductory Thoughts
- Assessing Risk
- Personal Protective Equipment
- Vehicles
- Natural Worksite Hazards
- Weather
- Chemicals in the Workplace
- Wildfires
- Bears
- Other Large Animals
- Insects
- Miscellaneous
- Industry-Certified Training Courses

Video 05: Rules & Regulations
- Introductory Thoughts
- Employment Standards Act
- Workers' Compensation Act
- Canada Human Rights Act
- Minimum Camp Standards
- Complying with Client/Licensee Policies
- Employer Policies
- Camp-Specific or Crew-Specific Policies
- Corporate Organization

Video 06: Camp Life
- Introductory Thoughts
- Overview of Basic Structure
- The Daily Routine
- Your Cooks & Meals
- Other Equipment
- When You're Not in a Tent Camp

Video 07: Map Reading
- Introductory Thoughts
- GPS System
- Other Map Features
- Understanding Scales
- Geo-Referenced Digital Maps
- Determining Direction From the Sun

Video 08: Nature & the Environment
- Introductory Thoughts
- Weather
- Determining Direction From the Sun
- Plants
- Animals
- Birds

Video 09: Basic Silviculture Knowledge
- Introductory Thoughts
- Stocking Standards
- Basic Seedling Physiology
- Tree Structure
- Shade Tolerance
- Environmental Factors Affecting Growth
- Basic Soils & Planting Media
- Seasons

Video 10: Stock-Handling
- Introductory Thoughts
- On-Site Seedling Storage
- Handling Seedling Boxes
- Correct Handling of Seedlings & Bundles

Video 11: Common BC Coniferous Trees
- Introductory Thoughts
- Pine
- Spruce
- Fir
- Other Important Species

Video 12: Planning Reforestation Activities
- Introductory Thoughts
- The Pre-Work Conference
- The Silviculture Presciption vs The Planting Prescription
- Potential Non-Planting Components
- Block Boundaries
- Mixing Species

Video 13: Planting Gear
- Introductory Thoughts
- Planting Bags
- Your Shovel
- Miscellaneous Planting Gear
- Gear Demonstration
- Non-Planting Gear

Video 14: Planting A Seedling
- Introductory Thoughts
- Selecting the Best Microsite
- Microsite Preparation
- Opening the Hole, Grabbing the Seedling
- Planting the Tree, Closing the Hole
- Demonstration

Video 15: Meeting Quality Requirements
- Introductory Thoughts
- FS 704 System Overview
- Throwing Plots
- Specific Faults – Damage to Seedlings
- Specific Faults – Microsite Selection
- Specific Faults – Planting Quality

Video 16: Spacing, Density, & Excess
- Introductory Thoughts
- What's In A Plot?
- Plotted versus Planted Density
- Target Spacing & Minimum Spacing
- Excess
- Missed Spot – A Quality Fault
- Penalties

Video 17: Site Preparation
- Introductory Thoughts
- Untreated Ground
- Trenching
- Mounding
- Scrapes
- Windrows
- Drag Scarification
- Chemical Scarification
- Prescribed Burning
- Selective Harvesting
- Assessing a Block

Video 18: Maximizing Productivity
- Introductory Thoughts
- Staying Organized
- Efficient Planting Techniques
- Efficient Work Strategies
- Staying Focused

Video 19: Behaviours & Attitudes
- Introductory Thoughts
- Maintaining the Health of the Ecosystem
- Responsible, Safe, & Respectful Behaviour
- Treatment of Co-Workers
- Stashing

Video 20: Wrap-Up
- Introductory Thoughts
- Field Practice
- Career Options
- Final Advice


Thanks for your interest in this project. We hope that it will be of benefit in the coming decade to a large number of planting contractors, and to thousands of new tree planters.

- Jonathan "Scooter" Clark
www.Replant.ca

[Scooter]

The 2022 edition is now available at replant.ca/stepbystep