10 ways you know you’re dating a tree planter

Once a tree planter, always a tree planter.

Once a tree planter, always a tree planter. Whether it’s years or just a season since being out in the bush, old habits die hard for those who’ve worked one of the most challenging yet rewarding summer jobs ever. Not only tree planters will tell you that, but so will their boyfriends/girlfriends too! tentree’s rounded up just a few ways you may be constantly reminded you’re in a relationship with a tree planter:

1) They mumble density specs in their sleep. (how close the trees are supposed to be together)

“It’s too close again again… good grief, now it’s too far. Wait what were the specs on this contract again!?” Unfortunately for you (and your beauty rest), density specs are a never-ending nightmare for a tree planter.

2) Your cooking often gets compared to camp food.

Yes, your partner’s never eaten as good as on their last three-month stint in the boonies. They are still raving on about it. Accept your burgers are second-class, and go out for sushi instead (can’t get that at camp, HA!).

3) You’ve got a very manicured garden.

You know what “piece management” is because your boyfriend/girlfriend’s neatly planned out (maybe even diagrammed!) your backyard from habit. They know all about the balance of a lot of water and a little fertilizer.

4) You know what “ghost lining” is.

Your partner has cursed it time and again – accidentally losing track of where you are and planting your own line of trees when you thought you were planting alongside another line of trees. Your partner may even accuse you of ghost lining on reflex (“I was only in the wrong supermarket aisle!”).

5) In your household, palm oil is on boycott.

Palm oil, directly linked to mass deforestation around the world, is a tree planter’s worst enemy. Your boyfriend/girlfriend checks the labels on everything from chocolate to soap detergent, and now you’re used to it too.

6) You book eco-holidays for two.

Your last romantic getaway was on a camping site, an eco-resort that runs off solar power or a travel local “staycation”. Your honeymoon will probably be in a tree-house hotel.

7) You celebrate Arbor Day and Earth Day.

September 2 is always spent outdoors, maybe on a hike or having a park picnic. And on April 22, all the lights are off and appliances get unplugged at home.

8) You’ve seen 78 Days… a few times.

This documentary about a camp in northern Alberta really gets it right.

9) At Christmas, wrapping doesn’t mean gifts.

No way, it’s about protecting trees for the winter. Your present this year (and every year) will be in a reusable bag. Wrap is a waste of paper!

10) You spend a lot of time hanging out with trees… and love it too.

There are lots of reasons to date a tree planter: they care about the environment and are always up for an outdoor adventure. You love trees just as much as they do, for their strength, beauty and also because they helped shape your boyfriend/girlfriend into the awesome person they are.

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