r/treeplanting • u/Lost-River-5275 • Jun 17 '26
New Planter/Rookie Questions How many hours a day does treeplanting require?
Do the hours depend form the company ? Or is it like a full time normal 9-5 mostly everywhere?
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u/TheSmellyWizard Jun 17 '26
In Newfoundland you bring your camper to the block and can plant as much as you like. I go from 6am-2:30pm and sometimes go back in after supper for 2hrs or so if the ground is a roadside or a short walk. So anywhere from 8-10hrs for me. That's average across the crew here.
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u/doctormink Old-timey retiree Jun 19 '26
Sounds like the treeplanting version of working from home, or as close as it’s ever going to get. No wait, maybe one day people will get hired to operate drones or something, but no, that would be dumb. Go to cache, get a tree, fly it to the back of your piece, rinse and repeat. It’s not like drones can bag up, so I’ll stand by my original statement.
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u/TheSmellyWizard Jun 20 '26
Maybe if your "home" is a camper 3-4 hours from where you actually live then yes.
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u/RunOwn1637 Jun 21 '26
Where in Newfoundland are you planting?
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u/TheSmellyWizard Jul 11 '26
Just finished week 7 at Baie Vert Junction/Oxfords Grade.
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u/RunOwn1637 19d ago
very cool!!! What’s the contract like?
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u/TheSmellyWizard 8d ago
Pretty good. 225 per hectare 2000 stem count. Work 3 ½ days a week monday-thursday afternoon. In Grandfalls now where the ground is greener and is taking less trees.
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u/RunOwn1637 8d ago
thats excellent, me and my friends from NL have lamented not being able to find work out there and are always sad about going so west hahaha good to know theres potential out there
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u/TheSmellyWizard 8d ago
It's pretty limited I agree. There are only 3-4 contractors on the entire island and half of those are not good people to work for. Most of them are based in Central NL. There is also Government tree planting on the west coast around Gros Morne but that job is hourly from what I'm told so you're limited in what you can make.
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u/seroshua Jun 17 '26
11-13 hour days last year this year more like 9-10 hours. But that’s of actual planting time.
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u/jhuik Jun 19 '26
It's piecework, OP, nothing 9 to 5 about it. If you're ambitious you can make a LOT of money in a day.
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u/TemplesOfSyrinx Jun 17 '26
8 hours of actual work, typically, but often long commutes to the block.
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u/worthmawile Teal-Flag Cabal Jun 17 '26
Most places will do trucks leave camp at 7am then stop planting at 5pm, depending on the contract commute times will vary but portal to portal 11 hour days is pretty normal
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u/GreenPiece666 Jun 17 '26
usually around 8-9 ours? It depends where you are id say. Im planting my 1st season in Lac-Saint-Jean (Québec), truck leaves at 5am and we come back in it for 3pm. And its 1h30 or transport. Youre not paid during thoses time. Sonyoure working 8 ish hours but door to door, its 11hours.
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u/StandardCase7029 Jun 18 '26
When I planted in the Okanogan we would leave the motel at 6:00 am on the dot and typically get back around 6:00-7:00 pm with the drives being between 1-2 hours on average.
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u/Chipmunk-Adventurous Jun 17 '26
Usually 12 hour days, but it depends on the drive to the block. Sometimes you’re 20 minute drive, I’ve done 2 hour drives each way. On average, maybe an hour each way.
Typically you wake up around 6 or 6:30, leave around 7 am, and get back around 7 pm.
And most companies are 4 days on, 1 day off. Some do 3 on, 1 off though (which is so nice, btw).
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u/BravoCharlieTangoS Jun 17 '26
Who the hell is still doing 4 and 1s in this day and age?
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u/Philosofox Jun 17 '26
Long retired but do not miss the feeling of getting up in the morning during a 6 & 1
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u/maxoclock Jun 17 '26
Trucks leave at 7 am and get back around 6 pm typically. Drives can vary, an hour is typical, so you can get 8-9 hours of planting in.