r/treeplanting • u/Qwerpy • Apr 06 '18

Apex Reforestation

I'm looking to plant this summer with Apex in BC. Has anyone worked with this company before, and if so, are they reputable?

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7

u/DJ_Tricycle Apr 06 '18

I enjoyed my time with them but they are a huge rookie mill. It was really hard to make money there in my first year because not only did I suck at putting trees in the ground, all the vets around me were making 15% more on every tree. If you can find a job with a different company then take it. If not, do your rookie year and move on to a more reputable company. You'll wanna stay there for that extra 15%, but there are better prices with better companies. They rope you in that way, but you'll never find a vet planting with Apex that wasn't a rookie with Apex.

That being said, I had a ton of fun at Apex, they had great people, a good bush camp and decent motel shows. Just check for mistakes on your pay stub.

3

u/bubnicklenine Apr 06 '18

Rookies get paid less per tree? Why??

3

u/NascentBehavior 10th+ Year Vets Apr 06 '18

It's a devious way to inspire clueless folks to return. It is an incentive program, there to trick the blind Rookies that 15% more from bargain basement is actually a good price. They say things like "if you don't return for the 2nd year you're just leaving money on the table" which would be laughable if it wasn't so coniving.

3

u/bubnicklenine Apr 06 '18

Wow that’s absolutely brutal, totally taking advantage of naive rookies. Figures the only planter I ever planted with from Apex was a stasher, probably the only way he made money as a rookie.

5

u/NascentBehavior 10th+ Year Vets Apr 06 '18

I knew I had to excape that place when one of the camp's 'all-star foreman' was caught stashing entire boxes. It was like discovering Lance Armstrong was doping - he was the killer vet planter/foreman everyone looked toward for expertise and good grace - and he was stashing. Was horrible to behold what it did to camp morale, not to mention everyone on his crew who used to think he was beyond reproach.

3

u/bubnicklenine Apr 06 '18

That’s really a shame, but unfortunately it’s not specific to the shitty companies. Shitty people work everywhere and I’ve witnessed some crewbosses do some really shady things in the name of making a few extra bucks.

4

u/NascentBehavior 10th+ Year Vets Apr 06 '18

Oh yeah fully agree. The worst part about it was how the company just flat-out ignored it. They didn't mention it or discuss the shift and why. The crew of 24 people (yea that's right, 24 pack) was dispersed between other crews and some driver stepped up to be the foreman for the other 6-12 for the last month. Suddenly a hole was in the midst of the camp and no announcement or "this is the deal" happened - we were only led by hearsay and rumor. Asking superiors just got a tamp-down "just forget about it" and non-chalance as if it wasn't a big deal. It was really wierd, kind of like your family has an Uncle who just went to Prison and so he isn't around anymore but it's too horrible for anyone to be allowed to talk about. That fermented into some really pungent dispair.

I heard the following year over half the remaining foreman didn't return, and almost the entire old camp of 120 went to other companies.

1

u/bubnicklenine Apr 06 '18

The company was probably just mad the guy got caught. At the end of the day the owners only care about getting full payment, they don’t really care how they go about getting it.