Kathleen Hamilton has been working as a tree planter in British Columbia for three seasons.
The tree planting season runs from April to August. Outside of that role, Hamilton is studying forestry at Lakehead University in Ontario.
Hamilton says she loves her job because of its relevance to her environmental studies and the sense of community it provides. Tree planting, she says, helps with reforestation, a process which supports biodiversity, prevents floods and reduces the risk of landslides.
Tree planters are paid per seedling planted. The pay per tree varies; it all depends on the difficulty of planting within an assigned area. For example, Hamilton has previously earned 37 cents per tree for obstacle planting on raw land. Obstacle planting means planting seedlings next to stumps or fallen logs. Raw land refers to a planting area that has not been plowed by machinery.
Hamilton usually plants between 1,000 and 2,000 seedlings a day, allowing her to earn between $370 and $740.
She told Vancouver Is Awesome that she would thoroughly recommend tree planting to anyone who enjoys working outside and is ready for the physical challenge.
If you are interested in finding out more about tree planting jobs, visit the B.C. government's website.
For more tree planting vlogs, check out Hamilton's TikTok.
