Different people have different reasons for taking a job as a tree planter. It’s common knowledge that most companies will not hire people who are solely interested in planting for the environmental aspects of the job. But that doesn’t mean that wanting to help the environment can’t be part of why you do it.
Some people will criticize that planting trees as a career doesn’t actually help the environment. They say it’s bad in the long run because it enables large corporations to continue cutting timber to fill the needs & desires of our modern society. However, it would be naïve to believe that without thinking about the bigger picture. The corporations will harvest wood whether or not the logged areas get replanted. Planting new trees is better than not doing anything at all.
Here are the top ten reasons that a veteran planter might list when asked why they do what they do:
By: Shannie Levesque1) Friendships: The people you meet in a planting camp are unique. You’ll never find a more diverse and interesting group of people. Many of the friendships that you make in planting camps will last for a lifetime.
2) Physical Health: Planting can be quite a workout. Why pay for a gym membership when you can work out for eight to ten hours every day and get paid to do it?
3) Fresh Air: Getting away from the pollution of a city is great for your body.
By: Replant.ca4) Amazing Meals: This is especially important for people who aren’t good at cooking for themselves, or who want a change. In many camps, you’ll be taken care of by amazing cooks who feed you a really healthy and nutritious diet.
5) Environmental Reasons: As mentioned above, planting is better than not planting.
6) Scenery: Some people think that “travel” means seeing a foreign country. There’s some beautiful scenery in Canada that most city-dwellers never get to see.
By Tom Miller7) Mental Focus: A few months of planting really lets you get away from the negative aspects of civilization, and lets you focus on the things that mean something in your life.
8) The Challenge: Pushing yourself to be successful every day requires a level of motivation that will stick with you long after you’ve planted your last tree.
9) Paycheques: Let’s not lie, it’s nice to be paid well for working so hard.
10) Satisfaction: There is almost nothing that you can do in your life that’s more rewarding than getting through a season of planting, looking back, and thinking, “I did something that very few people on this planet are capable of accomplishing.”
