This page has been set up to share photos & video relating to the "Health" chapter of "Step By Step, A Tree Planter's Handbook." Visit www.replant.ca/books to see books about tree planting.
PPE stands for Personal Protective Equipment. PPE can include things like an ATV helmet, or chain saw pants, or safety glasses, or oven mitts. PPE can also include things as simple as your clothing, which protects you from the elements.
A raincoat is the first line of defense to keep you from getting cold on a wet day. The water doesn't matter, but your body temperature does.
As you can see, different planters use lots of different types of rain gear.
There is a lot of variety when it comes to picking out boots. Planters have hundreds of different opinions about the best boots to get. Go to the Replant forums, and sign up for an account, and you'll be able to see a complete "boots" sub-forum once you're logged in.
Rain boots are PPE too, because they can keep your feet warm and dry.
Standard steel-toed work boots are also common. Once they're worked in for a couple days, they become very comfortable.
Caulk (prounounced "cork") boots are another type of PPE. These boots are mandatory for planters in most places on the BC coast. However, that part of the industry is generally made up of planters with at least five years of experience. First-year planters probably don't need to wear caulk boots, which are heavier and more expensive than most other types of boots.
Gloves are a critical piece of PPE to protect your hands from cuts and infections. A finger infection can put you on the sidelines for a couple of days, and cost you hundreds of dollars. Don't plant trees with your bare hands, and don't use duct tape. Gloves are the most comfortable, most effective, and most cost-efficient way to go.
The nitridex brand of glove is a huge favorite among tree planters.
Make sure your bags are adjusted properly, for your personal comfort.
Eating a big dinner is inevitable (and essential) after a hard day of planting.
Drinking lots of water is absolutely critical, even when you don't think you need to. Of course, your water in a planting camp probably won't come in individual water bottles. It will probably be potable water that is trucked in, and stored in huge reservoirs.
Make sure you drink as much water as possible, even on cold and wet days.
If the nights are cold (which is common in early May), fill your water bottles at night, in case the water system freezes overnight. Also, it saves time for you in the morning.
Beer is not an acceptable substitute for water. A single beer at dinner may be relaxing, but several beer after dinner can reduce your productivity the following day, even if you don't think you have a hangover.
Drugs and excessive consumption of alcohol will have a significant impact on your production and your earnings.
Different types of stimulants may feel like they're helping you in the short term, but in the long term, they do more harm than good. You need to learn to work hard without artificial/chemical stimulation, and you need to be able to fall into a deep sleep at night.
Energy drinks are no better than other types of stimulants and pills. We recommend that you avoid them entirely.
Healthy foods are the best forms of energy, to maximize your productivity during a long season.
Here are some examples of fatty foods.
Here are some examples of proteins.
Here are some examples of carbohydrates.
Wraps are a great snack for lunch on the block between bag-ups.
Use tongs when making your lunch, instead of your fingers, to help prevent spreading diseases and infections throughout your crew/camp.
Always wash your hands before eating or making your lunch.
Trucks are vectors of disease. Keep them cleaned out, and don't let crew members leave lots of dirty and potentially germ-infected clothing in the truck to ferment and spread diseases.
Follow Dalia Roberts' "Fit To Plant" program in the pre-season, to get into better shape for planting.
The team from Total Physio visits dozens of planting camps every season to meet with workers and offer advice about injury prevention and injury management.
Jogging is a good way to improve your cardio health.
Learn to plant ambidextrously. It seems very awkward at first, but ultimately, it makes you a much better and more versatile planter. In the long run, it is also much easier on your body because the wear and tear is distributed more evenly, and you are more likely to be able to keep working through an injury.
You can never bring too much water to the block.
The water tap is one of the most important parts of camp. Keep it clean, and make sure it is turned off after you use it, so you don't waste water.
Here's a planter pouring water into a small bottle to take with her during a bag-up.
Polypro socks covered with wool socks is a comfortable system for your feet.
Don't go tree planting to lose weight. It'll happen regards of what you do. You should still try to eat a large and healthy dinner every night, so you don't become sick. No matter how much you eat, chances are that you'll still lose a lot of weight.
Don't forget to wear sunscreen!
These are some sad eggs. Mental health is an important part of tree planting.
A tree planting camp is not a great place to be if you're struggling with mental health issues.
Try to maintain focus while at work. If you're distracted by thinking about the outside world, you may spend more time at the cache than necessary. Get back out into your piece as quickly as you can.
Regular showers are good for your health, and good for the health of people around you. Also, it gets rid of the mud.
Here's a shower trailer, which uses propane to heat the water supply.
Make sure you stretch each morning before you start planting, to warm up those muscles.
Jogging doesn't have to be a solo activity.
In the middle of the Canadian winter, running on a treadmill may be a better choice than running outdoors.
Preventative taping can help prevent things like tendonitis.
There is a strong responsibility to take special care with the training and supervision of "young" workers, in the eyes of the law. Young workers can also mean recent hires, even if they're not as young as other people in the camp.
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.
