Lessons Learned from 8 Seasons of Treeplanting

Treeplanting has shaped me in so many ways! This article is a wee exploration of the insights and joys my years of planting have taught me :)

HELLO READER,

I spent eight summers planting trees in Western Canada. Some of you may know, all too well, the gruelling adventure of a season of treeplanting. For those of you unfamiliar with the experience, let me paint a picture of a typical day for you ...

A TYPICAL DAY

The day starts early. My breath mists in the cold air as I emerge from my tent and join my crew for our breakfast slot at 5:30am. The sky is looking relatively clear, which is a blessing as the last few days have been miserable rain soaked occasions (you get every possible weather when planting; from snow to blazing heat). My boots are still pretty damp despite the fact I left them in the dry tent overnight - aaaah well, nothing to it but to do it. Fed and slightly more awake, I climb into my crew’s truck and we head off to our block (planting area). 

Once we arrive, I bundle about 400 trees into my bags, shrug them over my shoulders, grab my shovel and begin planting. Some days are better than others. We had just gotten off a brutal piece; full of slash (tree debris from the logging harvest) we had to climb over and sheets of rock that sent jolts of agony up the planting arm. Today though, the ground is pretty soft and clear. It is just the bugs, though, gaaaahhh … even this early in the day, they are clogging up my nostrils, behind my ears and ravaging any piece of skin they can reach. Planting ain’t easy, let me tell ya!

The day goes on. I plant my first bag up trees and then load up another 400 and head back out. I mostly plant alone, but sometimes I partner up with a pal and we help each other through the messy areas or just have some company. My aim is to plant a minimum of 2200 trees every day - each one is worth 12 cents today, so I have to put in a fair few to make good money. So, I push myself through the repetition of planting, doing my best to get in the rhythm; plant, steps, plant, steps, plant, steps, plant ... Some days I just wanna give up; the body aches, itching all over, working wet and miserable, pushing through a garbage of a gully that takes forever to clamber through, or sundrunk under the blazing heat. Today is doable, but the job ain’t easy, let me tell ya. 

At the end of the day, weary and proud, I swap stories with my crew as we walk back to our trucks. We regale one another of the craziness of the day and share the delights or disappointments of our production numbers. We get back into the truck, return to camp and head straight to dinner at 7:00 and then a couple hours off before doing it all over the next day. Nothing to it but to do it.

LESSONS LEARNED

My 8 seasons of treeplanting have shaped me in so many ways; I learned a wealth of amazing lessons that have contributed massively to who I am today. I am sharing these lessons for two reasons; in part to encourage you if you are considering treeplanting, and to reminisce on this awesome experience that has moulded me so profoundly.

HOW TO PLANT TREES

Teehee, I would be remiss to leave out the most basic lesson - I learned how to plant thousands of trees. I can distinctly remember my first few days on the job; completely bamboozled by the motions of putting a tree in the ground and very uncertain on the best locations for planting. I can still feel the pride of finishing my first 100 trees, as well as the utter goofery of leaving my shovel in the ground and just wandering off. Thank goodness my foreman was nearby, otherwise I would never have found the shovel again. 

Those rookie days are long gone. I learned how to look at the terrain and gauge the best medium at a glance. I learned efficient motions to plant that didn’t destroy my elbow. I learned the ins and outs of treeplanting and made enough money to travel where my wandering spirit took me. If you are thinking of planting, don’t worry, you will pick it up no problem!

CONFIDENCE

Treeplanting taught me confidence. My reasoning goes that if I survived a season of planting, I can do anything. The job showed me I can persevere when the going gets tough; rain bucketing down, wind whipping, hands frozen and mind ready to give in. None of my roles since treeplanting have required anywhere near the mental fortitude and grit which I needed in that context.

Sure, other jobs or situations require different skills or abilities, but the mindset of pushing through a planting season continues to instil me with a sense of confidence. It fosters the idea that I can overcome challenges and I have what it takes to step up and show up, regardless of the situation. I reckon if you can survive a season of planting, you can do anything.

SELF-TALK

It was about 3:30 in the afternoon and I was ~500 trees short of reaching my goal of planting 4000 trees. I had roughly an hour and half left in the day and I was exhausted. 

‘C’mon Jono, there is no need for 4K today. Just plant steady, get another couple hundred in. We have already made decent money, indeedio.’ I urged myself, trying to convince myself to let the foot off the gas. 

‘Na, this is an opportunity. The season is short and will soon be over. Hit the 4K and then rest. We want every penny for travelling - if not today, then when?!’ I argued back to myself.

In my experience, there is no better environment to learn self-talk then treeplanting. We have to be self-motivated to survive and thrive in the gruelling monotony of planting. We have to be able to push ourselves to keep going despite the bugs, weather, and pain. The job taught me to recognise my internal voices, convince myself to keep going, and power through the struggle.

ENVIRONMENT FOR LASTING FRIENDSHIPS

My experience taught me just how unique the treeplanting environment is for creating lasting friendships. 

In a typical season, we are surrounded by the same people from sun-up to sun-down for three months. We witness all the possible moods of our buddies; the elation of a new PB (personal best), the despair of having to replant, the determination of pushing through a bust leg, the nausea of sun-drunk dehydration, the drive of planting like there is no tomorrow, and the gloom of a rainy day. We share breakfast and dinner in the mess tent, impressed by how much we are eating. Evenings by the fire. Days off by the lakes. 

My key takeaway from this experience is understanding that lasting friendships are facilitated by sharing hardship and success, as well as being able to spend plenty of time together. I cherish the friendships my summers of planting have gifted to me, indeedio!!

CASCADING EMOTIONS

Throughout my years of treeplanting, I learned how easy it is for emotions to ripple through a crew. I can remember a distinct day in my fourth season when the emotions of my manager rollercoastered from pride and excitement to misery and panic, and then to confidence and benevolence. As my leader’s moods shifted, so did that of the crew - it was a fascinating case study in team dynamics. Experiences such as this one taught me to be aware of how my emotions can affect others, as well as how to recognise, but not take on, the emotions of others. 

VALUE OF CONSISTENCY

A season of treeplanting is all about consistency. I remember my first foreman (great guy!) telling me that the key to planting is to avoid peaks and valleys. Let me explain. If I work really hard one day (plant a lot of trees) but then put in a weak effort the next day (plant only a handful of trees), that equates to average. What I am aiming for is a consistent average with peaks; having a base rate of solid work every day with flurries of gigantic effort. This is how we thrive as planters! 

In my work today, as a founder and freelancer, I find this mindset is still exceptionally appropriate. It is a foundation for my productivity, giving me the ability to strive towards my goals without burning out. 

EFFICIENCY

The more trees you plant, the more money you make. It is as simple as that. 

Treeplanting is a game of efficiency and it has held me in good stead in all the various jobs I have done since. It taught me to reduce any waste of time and be as economical with my planting motions as possible. Heck, if you can carve a few seconds off every tree you put in the ground, that gives you the opportunity for a huge amount more trees. There are few people I have met who are more efficient than veteran treeplanters. 

PERSPECTIVE

‘What are you most looking forward to when we get back to civilisation?’

Being out in the bush for three months, living in a tent with no service or wifi, brings a delicious perspective on ‘normal’ life. My summers of treeplanting taught me the joys of being away from civilisation and the joys of being in civilisation! I loved living out in the bush, where reading, playing games, and going to the lake were the ways I spent my time off. Especially not being glued to a screen. 

That being said, coming back into civilization after a season of treeplanting was a luxury. Hot showers! Beds - fluffy, soft beds. Easily accessible cold crisp water. Regular clean clothes. The simple things, my friends. A season of treeplanting always helped put my privilege into perspective and compelled me to enjoy the time away from and the time in civilisation.

Onwards

Reader, onwards and upwards. I have no idea if you are contemplating a season of treeplanting, but if you are, I can say it has contributed massively to who I am and I would highly recommend giving it a go! For all of you who have survived the joyous gruelling strivings of a planting, I am confident you have learned your own wealth of lessons - I would be enthused to hear them. For those of you who stumbled upon this for other reasons, I hope you found what you were looking for and gained a smidgeon more insight into the world of treeplanting.

Wishing you all an abundance of grit, warmth and delight!