This page has been set up to share photos & video relating to the "Camp Life" chapter of "Step By Step, A Tree Planter's Handbook." Visit www.replant.ca/books to see books about tree planting.
Most tree planting camps are mobile tent camps. However, you may occasionally find yourself working in a semi-permanent camp with Atco trailers. Don't count on it though.
If you're working in an Atco type of camp, it's more likely to be primarily operating as part of a logging/harvesting operation. Quite often, these are "dry" camps which don't permit the presence of drugs or alcohol.
Here are some planters walking out of the block at the end of the day, getting ready to head back home to camp.
On a night off (the night before the day off), planters may congregate in the mess tent to relax for several hours.
Beer and board games is a favorite theme on nights off.
The mess tent looks a lot different at breakfast, when people are getting ready for a day of planting.
The camp bulletin board is useful for posting all of the various documents and posters that the government branches ask companies to provide for employees.
This "crew ahead" sign is useful to warn drivers to slow down. There should also be some "camp ahead" signs posted on either side of any planting camp located on a main forestry road.
Planters will pay a daily "camp cost" fee for days when meals are provided in camp. These fees are regulated in BC, but not in other provinces.
Here is an example of the camp costs being explained on one company's website.
If a campfire is set up, it's a comfortable place for planters to relax after dinner. Don't stay up late if you have to plant the next day!
Another photo of planters relaxing around a fire on the night off.
Even if a fire isn't possible, due to the fire hazard index indicating a high/extreme wildfire hazard rating, it's still possible to have a lot of fun in camp on a night off, whether that means a games night, costume party, or dance party in the mess tent.
Cold mornings (or wet mornings) can mean a lack of smiles at breakfast.
Electrical power is usually somewhat limited in camp, but there needs to be some power to run the kitchen, office trailer, etc. A camp may have a single large generator, such as this 6500w diesel generator, or it may have several smaller 3000w gasoline generators.
This is the "grey water" pit, where all the dirty water from the kitchen (and dishpit) is collected.
Any grey water pit should be surrounded by some sort of temporary fencing, and covered with plywood boards, to reduce the number of animals that come to investigate it.
This kitchen trailer has a [mandatory] dishwashing area.
Hot water is available for the kitchen, handwashing station, and dish pit. The potable water in this particular kitchen is heated by a "puloma" propane-powered water heater.
The dry tent is a popular place after a rainy day. It will have some sort of heating system inside, and lots of rope clotheslines, to allow fifty people to hang and dry their clothing overnight. It rarely works perfectly, but I've seen a few that work fairly well. This depends on how much work the planters put into it. If the heater is based on an open flame of some sort (which most are), remember that fire needs oxygen, so you need a bit of air flow to keep it running properly. This air flow should also help to remove moisture-saturated air from the tent.
In locations where it is not possible or practical to truck in potable water, a water filtration system may be set up.
A water purification system usually works based upon a series of progressive filters, going from large particles to smaller particles, then also filtering out the organic contaminants.
Every camp is required to have some sort of central first aid facility.
The government will probably mandate the minimum requirements of first aid equipment that must be made available on site.
The fuel cache is the location where any fuels, oils, or similar materials are stored.
Each container is expected to have labelling that indicates exact what type of material it contains.
This fuel cache has soft barricades and bump logs around it, to reduce the risk that a vehicle backs into it.
Don't smoke near the fuel cache!
It's wise to have bear-proof garbage cans in camp.
The garbage trailer should also be designed to withstand the entry of animals.
Here's a small 3000 watt gasoline-powered generator.
Here's another one.
Here is a foreman, hanging up clothing in a dry tent.
It can be fun to have a few guitars in camp, for when people want to relax after dinner.
Handheld VHF radios are very useful on the blocks.
If you need extra radios, you can get inexpensive programmable VHF handheld radios from Amazon. They aren't very waterproof, but they can be stored in a Pelican case to protect them when sitting at a cache.
Here's a photo of a foreman using a handheld radio to communicate with someone. Good communication leads to better organization and efficiency.
Here's one type of heater that may be used in a dry tent. This one is powered by propane.
Here's another dry tent heater, also powered by propane.
If you have a good cook in your camp, and the company provides a reasonable daily budget for food, the meals can be simply amazing.
Here's a planter enjoying a tasty meal
Expect the unexpected. Especially when it comes to weather.
In some camps, the kitchen is a portable trailer.
In other camps, it's common to see a tent kitchen.
No matter how big the tent, it never seems to be big enough to hold everything.
Here's the kitchen on the Lasquetti Daughters, a barge that was used by coastal tree planters for many years.
Here's a photo of a semi-permanent logging camp.
Here's another semi-permanent camp.
Here is part of the table that has been set out for planters to prepare their lunches.
Here's another example of a lunch table. It's important that planters are offered very large quantities of nutritious food, in order to keep them at maximum energy levels for production work.
Here is one of the daily dinner menus, complete with a bit of humour.
An empty mess tent, looking properly organized. It is very helpful to have floorboards to keep the living conditions more bearable.
The mess tent doesn't have floorboards, so it will probably get pretty muddy before long.
Some companies don't have the capability of setting up a planting camp, and instead work out of motels. This is more common in southern BC than in northern BC, and almost universal on BC's coast. Motels are comfortable, as you get to sleep in a bed, and have your own private hot shower. The drawback, of course, is that it's a lot more expensive. Not only do you have to pay to feed yourself (and cook your own food), but you also need to pay to help cover the cost of the room.
Some people prefer the social aspects of a planting camp, while others prefer the semi-privacy of working out of motel rooms.
You may see lots of different kitchen configurations in various camps.
Some outhouses can be quite rudimentary, with the plumbing consisting of a hole in the ground.
Other outhouses can be quite fancy in some camps, and cleaned out regularly by septic trucks.
Planters often like to relax in a park on their day off, weather permitting.
Days off are also a good time to catch up on some good reading.
Pizza for dinner! A rarity, but always a big favorite of the planters.
Propane tanks supply fuel to run most of the stoves, ovens, grills, and heaters in camp.
These "hundred pounder" bottles of propane are dug into the ground somewhat for safety.
It's also possible to get a propane-powered generator in camp, although they don't seem to be in common use.
This shower trailer uses a portable hundred-pounder propane tank (bottom) feeding gas up to the puloma water heaters (top of photo), to heat the water.
Here's a cook, waiting for the planters to show up for dinner. This particular cook (Stephane) is one of the best in the business!
Unloading camp equipment from the reefer trailer.
Setting up or tearing down a portable tent camp is an annoying job, but if everyone pitches in and works hard, it can usually be done in about two hours (not counting additional time for planters to deal with their own personal tents and gear).
A reefer full of trees. It's helpful for the foremen to have maps and allocation spreadsheets in the reefer, for reference. You should always double-check that the correct request keys (an unique identifier number for each different type of tree) are being pulled out when you're loading a crew truck from the reefer.
Here's a reefer trailer, attached to a tractor.
Bottles of hand sanitizer should be kept near the outhouses and kitchen.
Many planting camps in western Canada have satellite internet capability, and WiFi in camp. It isn't fast, but it's enough to help improve communication with basic emails and so on.
Don't expect that a camp satellite-based internet system will be fast enough to run torrents, make Skype calls, or stream videos/music. We're talking about speeds not much faster than dialup.
Here are two cooks, working on some roasts.
This shelving inside the walk-in cooler holds quite a bit of produce and other food, which is all kept at refrigerator temperatures (optimally between 0 degrees and 4 degrees Celsius).
This old shower tent wasn't weighed down properly, and it blew over in a windstorm.
These shower tents look like someone did a good job of putting them up, and the bases of the showers are properly secured.
A shower trailer is even better.
We don't like to plant in snow, but occasionally, it's inevitable (as long as it hasn't accumulated on the ground).
Taco night, another favorite meal!
A planter, sorting through box-end stickers while double-checking her daily tallies.
Tent City.
More tents.
This planter's tent is in a more enviable location.
Raising the window coverings on the mess tent on a sunny afternoon.
An example of a diesel tidy tank mounted in the back of a pickup. Diesel tidy tanks are usually yellow or white.
These tidy tanks are painted red, which probably means that they are designed to hold gasoline.
This walk-in cooler has a tarp suspended overhead to keep the temperature regulated more easily, and so the cooler compressor doesn't have to work so hard.
These planters won't be in camp for the rest of the day. They're walking into a block, to begin a day of planting.
A large potable water system in a planting camp.
Another similar system. In this company, clean and safe potable water is trucked in from town, to feed the kitchen and the handwashing sinks and dish pit.
If shower water is not readily available near the camp location, it's possible for a water trailer to fill up out of a nearby lake, and then the tank on the trailer can supply water to the showers.
Finally, even though it's extremely unlikely that first-year planters will be working out of fancy permanent camp facilities such as mining camps, logging camps, or oil & gas camps, here is a series of photos showing the sortsof facilities that exist for some rare specialty jobs. The following photos were all taken at the Mariana Lodge facility in northern Alberta, which is a permanent oil & gas camp located just south of Fort MacMurray.
The camp, photographed from a helicopter.
A few of the fancier barracks for wealthy executives.
Bunkhouses for workers.
Everyone (in this lodge) gets their own room. This one features a single bed, a desk, and a private bathroom/shower behind the door.
This room also has a private sink, cabinets, and a large television. Believe me, most remote camps are not nearly this fancy.
Planters eating in the cafeteria. Hats, dirty hands, and dirty or torn clothing are not allowed.
There are lots of wraps, sandwiches, puddings, and fruits available, for workers to bag their own lunch to go.
Naturally, there is also a large selection of beverages and fruits.
An ATM? Of course.
This camp has vending machines that carry most critical items that you might want to have. The nearest municipality and drug/convenience stores are over an hour away on the highway.
Some people staying at this camp are working night shifts. It's important to be very quiet in the bunkhouse rooms and hallways. If you want to socialize, there are lounges elsewhere in the camp.
A weight and exercise room.
Part of the games room.
A small theatre (also great for safety meetings).
Fergo, playing foozball in the games room.
Planters socializing after dinner.
Time lapse showing reefer unloading of camp gear, and partial setup.
Click here to see a page listing books related to reforestation in Canada. If you received a photocopied version of this book from your planting company, or you're a trainer at a Canadian planting company, click on this link for more information.
