The Importance of Quality as a Tree Planter
As a tree planter, speed can often seem like the sole criterion that makes you good at your job. For the most part, this is true. The more trees you get in the ground, the more money you earn. That is with one exception - quality. The other key factor for being a great planter is consistently planting high-quality trees. We understand that quality goes against your productivity incentives, however, it’s still crucial that every tree you put in the ground meets the requirements of the site. That’s why we wanted to highlight why quality is important, and what to look for when evaluating your quality.
How do Tree Planting Companies Get Paid?
Much like tree planters, silviculture companies are paid per tree. When a forestry company submits a Request for Proposal (RFP), it provides a prescription for that plot of land, which outlines the types of trees, tree spacing, and other requirements that must be met. Before bidding on a project, a representative of the planting company will go to the site to look at the terrain, climate, vegetation, etc., to get an idea of how difficult it will be to meet the terms outlined on the prescription. The more difficult, the more expensive. These terms will also generally influence the price per tree that the planters are paid. Leader Silviculture specializes in terrain that takes high-precision work, which is why we tend to pay more per tree than other companies.
Once the companies reach an agreement, the planting company can begin work. That’s when the tree planters go out each day, planting as many trees as they can while maintaining the quality standards set out in the prescription. Then, a checker from the planting company will go through and review all of the work. Their job is to make sure that all the trees meet the client's requirements. Once a block is finished, a representative from the client will also do a walkthrough of the site, reviewing each tree with a fine-tooth comb to make sure that there aren’t any mistakes. The site is then given a score based on the percentage of the trees on that lot that are up to standard.
The quality grade that a planting company receives for a site is directly connected to how much money they are paid. In order for a planting company to receive full payment, its quality score must be at least 92.5%. Below 85%, the payment scale drops rapidly, and the company won’t earn a dime if the site scores below 69%. That’s why maintaining accuracy each day is so important, and our most successful planters are the ones who build a solid foundation of quality from the start and get faster from there.
If you’d like to learn more about planting quality inspections, click here to download the FS704 PDF.
How Do Quality Standards Vary by Region?
As you’d imagine, the requirements that a tree needs to survive will depend on where you’re planting. Leader plants in three major zones, each of which has specific planting practices. Your crew boss will review the specifics of each project when you start, however, having a general understanding of what goes into these decisions will greatly improve your ability to consistently plant high-quality trees.
Interior Douglas Fir Zone (IDF Zone):
The IDF Zone is the most temperamental for planting. It’s the lowest elevation zone we plant in BC, making up the interior belt of BC. It features a very hot and dry climate, making heat and water an issue. Unlike some areas, where you can throw a tree in the top layer of soil and it will grow just fine (called F layer planting), in the IDF zone, the first few inches of organic matter don’t hold water well. This requires planters to screef off the top layer to get to the rich mineral soil underneath, where moisture retention is much better.
Heat is another major consideration. Because the IDF is so hot, you may need to “obstacle plant”, which is when you plant trees on the north side of rocks and other obstacles in order to keep them out of the heat. It may not seem like much, but soil temperatures can vary by up to 6 degrees, depending on which side of a log you’re on.
Montane Spruce Zone (MS Zone):
The MS Zone is the mid-elevation section that Leader will normally plant in June. The MS Zone is generally wetter than in the IDF zone, making screefing requirements less stringent. With that said, grassy areas will still need to be screefed to ensure survival of the seedlings.
Engelmann Spruce - Subalpine Fir Zone (ESSF Zone):
The ESSF Zone is the highest elevation we plant at, and is generally the coldest and wettest climate. Here, soil moisture won’t be as much of an issue most of the time, and F layer planting is generally acceptable.
Common Faults to Look for
When it comes to assessing quality, there are a few categories of standards that need to be followed. The first category is damage to seedlings, which is exactly what it sounds like. If you plant a tree that’s stem, roots, or leaves are damaged, then that tree will be faulted. The second category is Microsite Selection, which is a series of faults that involve picking the wrong spot to plant, such as incorrect spacing, poor moisture, overhead barriers, and more. The third and final category is Planting Quality. These faults are for when you’ve planted a healthy tree in the right spot, poorly. Faults in this category include crooked trees, exposed roots, too loose, too deep/shallow, etc. All of these faults are outlined in great detail on Replant.ca, which we recommend you look into to learn more about them and how to avoid them. If you’re experiencing these issues, your checker will also go over the mistakes with you, and hopefully provide you with some tips to fix the mistake in the future.
Being a great planter is just as much about knowing when not to plant as it is knowing how to plant quickly. Especially when you’re planting on the technical terrain that Leader does, maintaining a high quality of work is crucial. Our checkers don’t want to hound you any more than you do, and the best way to avoid run in’s is to familiarize yourself with some of the resources available on Replant, such as selecting and prepping microsites, meeting quality requirements, and spacing, density, and excess. If you give those articles a read, and are attentive to any feedback you receive from your checker, then you’ll be well on your way to being a high-quality, high productivity planter - the best type of planter there is!
