This page has been set up to share photos & video relating to the "Improving Productivity" chapter of "Step By Step, A Tree Planter's Handbook." Visit www.replant.ca/books to see books about tree planting.
"Boots, bags, shovel, water, lunch." Memorize this slogan. When you're about to go to work, repeat that slogan to yourself and do a mental (or visual) check to make sure that you have all of those items. Those are the five most critical items that you need to have on the block for a day of planting. You'd be surprised about how often planters leave critical things like these in camp.
In order to be productive, you need to be wearing proper workwear. Boots are probably the most important item, although wearing appropriate clothing is also important.
If you're working in a planting camp, you should get in a habit of filling your water jug at night, especially during the first few weeks of the season. Not only does this help you skip a lineup in the morning, it also means that you have something to drink on the block even if the water system is frozen the next morning. Night-time temperatures in early May can get quite cold, well below freezing.
As you're planting a tree, it helps save time if you can simultaneously look ahead to see where your next tree will be planted. Always try to plan several trees ahead, once you get comfortable with spotting other seedlings that have already been planted.
Staying hydrated is one of the most important considerations when planting. On hot days, you simply cannot drink too much water. Rather than drinking large quantities only upon returning to the cache, some planters prefer to augment their water intake by carrying a smaller water bottle with them on the block, so they can pause for a few seconds to take a large drink in the middle of their run.
Eating a lot of food at once in the middle of the day can be counter-productive, because it can sit in your stomach, and make you sluggish. The best technique is to eat lots of small snacks throughout the day, during your bagups.
If you know that your quality and density is acceptable, whether it's because a checker is letting you know or because you throw a few quick plots on yourself during the day, you'll feel more comfortable about planting quickly, and you'll be more productive in the long term.
Proper communications is important for efficient operations. All planters should know how to use all the radio systems, in case they need to contact their foreman for instructions.
Always keep careful track of your daily production! Record the time you left camp, the time you returned to camp, the number of trees planted (by species/section), the price, and any other pertinent information. This will be invaluable for ensuring that your paycheques are correct. Many planters even set up spreadsheets to track their daily production and earnings on an ongoing basis, both in terms of averages and of total production to date.
The "Numbies" app is a very cheap and effective way to keep track of your daily production records, and it automatically calculates things like daily average earnings for you. There are versions available on Android and iOS, for just a couple dollars.
Stay safe, without injuring yourself, and remain in good health. One of the biggest hits to any planter's earnings is lost time. If you miss even three or four days of work during a summer of planting, that down-time may cost you over a thousand dollars in lost earnings. Nothing sucks more than spending a sick day in camp, knowing that you could have made a lot of money on the block that day.
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.
