The Real Mighty Machines: Tree Planting Buses

The official bus of Kenogami 2013 contract, during it's paint job

One of the coolest aspects of tree planting in my opinion is the camp's bus. It's like the Statue of Liberty but for a tree planting village. Nothing gets 30 or 40 people crammed together down dirt logging roads in the middle of nowhere better than a beat-up old school bus that smells like death itself, and has pieces falling off over every bump in the road. Sometimes when a section of road has been washed away, planters actually have to build a bridge to get the bus across. It's hard work maintaining these buses, but if you take care of them they take care of you.

 With a camp bus comes a sense of pride. Every year planters can paint their bus with anything they'd like (barring obscene profanity, usually), adding to that feeling of pride. it also provides a great camp activity for a weekend. Both the outside and the inside get spruced up (spruce, like spruce trees, hilarious, James!) On the inside planters write messages, both to themselves and to future planters, messages like "veterans don't fear the Reefer," or "picking up dimes" (a metaphor for planting trees at ten cents each) or the one below, which was one of my favorites. Often these messages are inspirational or humorous, bolstering a planter's mindset.

"Into the path where no one goes. They hold no quarter, they ask no quarter." Led Zeppelin lyrics written in the bus

The bus is what gets planters away from camp on weekends. Some of the greatest road trips I've ever had were on tree planting buses. The sun's shining through the grimy windows, everyone's in the weekend mood, somewhere on the bus Outkast is blaring on a small portable speaker and we're heading on into the next small town, or pulling up to some tucked-away lake in the middle of nowhere.

Not only is the bus great for getting planters to and from work, it's also great to have around camp. I can't count the number of evenings I spent on the roof of my camp bus with my friends during my contracts. There's something relaxing about being up there, watching the sun set and the stars come out, listening to the wolves howl. These are magical moments, and that beat up old bus is an integral part in what makes it so special.

Nothing like a coldbeer on the bus after a long day at work

It can even offer shelter, should a planter make the unwise decision to sleep in the bus for the night. While it may seem like a great idea in theory, when you're trying to sleep while suspended between two bus benches you find falling asleep a bit difficult. Trust me, I tried very hard.

So maybe the bus does smell awful. Maybe the seats are too small for a large group of adults. Maybe it's vital organs are falling off on old dirt roads. There's something special about that bus. It's a part of the tree planting family, almost a planter itself.

All Work and No Play?

At this point I felt the need to clear something up that may not have been obvious in my previous posts. Maybe I made tree planting sound like a prison sentence, filled with endless days of hard work. There's definitely hard work involved, and some longer days may feel like a prison sentence, but planters are given a day or two off every week to relax. So how does a  tree planter spend his or her downtime?

Fishing on a nearby lake

A tree planters' weekend spans Sunday and Monday, not the standard weekend format. Generally Saturday night after planting and dinner is spent socializing around a bonfire, usually bigger than it needs to be, sharing stories from the week, having a drink or two and just unwinding after a long week. These evenings can go late into the night, sometimes until early morning.

Sunday is typically the day everyone goes into town on the bus to do laundry, buy food for the weekend and enjoy civilization for a change. Maybe use a real toilet instead of an outhouse for a change. I liked to use that time to call home, since cell service out in the woods is hard to come by. After everyone's ready to go back the bus collects everyone and heads back to camp. By now it's usually later in the afternoon, so most planters will make dinner. Sunday evening is spent much like Saturday evening, with a big fire and a social evening with the entire crew.

Have time off? Why not build a boat?

Monday is the day to totally relax. There's no need to go into town again, so the time is yours to spend how you you'd like. Go fishing, play some volleyball, write a letter to a loved one, etc. Mondays are the most relaxing days to a tree planter. You don't even have to wake up if you don't want to. The latter portion of Monday is used to prepare for the following work day. Gear is packed, boots are cleaned, shovels are sharpened. A sense of the coming work week is in the air. But don't worry, we'll do it all again next week.

A tame version of a tree planter bonfire

Tools of the Trade, Part One

Congratulations! You've been hired to plant trees this summer and will now commit to spend two months in the middle of the woods somewhere far away from the rest of humanity. Now what are you going to pack? Here's a list of some of the important items that you'll want to take with you. I'm only covering the main necessities in this post, next week I will post a second list.

Left: Boots before 2014 season. Right: Boots after 2014 season

1. Steel-toe boots.  During a tree planting contract you'll be wearing them almost the entire time. They must have steel toes by law, since half of the job requires you to stomp on the base of your trees to ensure they are planted firmly and won't get washed away by rain. They should also be waterproof. Guaranteed you'll be walking through puddles or mud almost every day. The best boots I ever had were chainsaw boots, designed for lumberjacks. They're 100 per cent waterproof and will last the whole contract for sure. Below are the boots I bought in 2014, just steel toed hiking boots. By the end of week two the hole you see in the right photo had already started. When water gets in your boots your whole day is ruined. DO NOT CHEAP OUT ON BOOTS. They are your best friends in the woods.

My shovel and bags that I've used for two contracts

2. Shovel and bags. A tree planter's weapons. Virtually all planters use the same standard bags and shovels. The shovel is about 34 inches long, but can be shortened easily, which many veteran planters do. They come with either a wide spade or a thin one. I recommend the thin blade, but it really comes down to personal preference. The thin spade gives you a lighter shovel which is easier to make a hole with. The wider spade makes a bigger hole, which can be useful but I found it slows me down slightly.
The bags cannot be modified much. They are set up to have two shoulder straps and a waist strap to evenly distribute weight. There are two main bags, one on each hip, which are designed to hold your trees. A small back bag can hold your water bottle, bug spray, and whatever else you want to bring out with you.

Tent City, my home for my first contract. My tent is the second from the right

3.Tent. Yes that's right, you'll be living in a tent for two months. When told that, most people look at me like I'm insane. Maybe so, but I find it almost therapeutic. Either way, if you're going to buy a tent, I suggest buying a larger one. Sure, it takes up more room when you're packing, but keep in mind it's your home now. I've used a four man tent on both of my contracts and I love it. You can store all your belongings in it and there's still plenty of space for you. Again, it's up to you personally, but makes sure your tent is in good shape, and won't let the bugs in. Once the bugs are in, it's game over.

I hope this quick guide to the essentials helps! As I said earlier, I will be posting a second list next week which will cover clothing and other essentials.

The Characteristics of a Tree Planter

 In my first post I talked about the challenges a planter faces every day. Obviously it isn't a job for everyone. You might be wondering what it takes to be a tree planter. What does a planter look like?
It may surprise you that there isn't a certain type of person that goes tree planting. They come in all sizes. Being tall or short has no effect on ones ability to put trees in the ground.
Gender is also irrelevant to ones planting abilities. In fact, many of the best planters I've met are women.
There are some things that all good planters have in common. The first is endurance. It's a difficult  job, so a planter has to be in good shape to keep up. Even if you're only in decent shape, a week or two of planting will give you the endurance you need.
In addition to endurance, a good planter needs determination. If you apply to a job where you'll be living in a tent working hard for two months, you'd better be ready to stick it out rain or shine. It's not easy to keep going, but the rewards are there. I've never felt more accomplished, more proud, than when I put my last tree in the ground and finished my first contract. It's an indescribable feeling, one I'll always remember.
An optimistic attitude will also serve you well.  For a group of men and women doing some of the hardest work in the country, there's remarkably little complaining to be heard. The phrase "shut up and plant" is one you'll hear a lot over the planting season. Whining is poison to a crew. Learn to enjoy yourself, laugh a lot and the job doesn't seem so bad anymore.
Lastly, a planter enjoys life in the outdoors. For two months the closest thing you have to a home is a tent, so you'd better enjoy being outside a lot. Other than that, there's no real set characteristics of a tree planter.