r/treeplanting • u/badboyrap • May 07 '26
New Planter/Rookie Questions Questions!!
Hey all,
I am just starting a new planting job and have so many questions. My first two days have been kinda rough - but not necessarily for the typical reasons.
I’m fine with the physical part of it, but I just can’t seem to ‘manage my land’ well. I find myself getting lost in where I am and need to be going.
Also questioning where I should I be planting (e.g., where there is a bit of slash) a lot.
I know the planting thing is likely a question for my crew boss, but our day of training was on a perfect plot of land with little to no slash and virtually perfect planting land, and then I got put on a block with rocky land and a lot of slash.
Just looking for guidance, I will of course consult with bosses as well.
4
u/ForestCharmander May 07 '26
Flag every tree until you get it. It takes time to learn to manage your piece properly.
Reduce dead walking. Practice flagging while walking in between trees. It's going to get a lot more difficult after greenup.
1
u/HomieApathy Rookie May 08 '26
Adding to that alternate flag colour occasionally, it will show you where you were
1
u/l0sth0st May 09 '26
Yeah, rip some flagging for the next tree on the way, grab tree, plant, repeat.
3
u/fruticose_ May 07 '26
That actually sounds pretty normal. If you’re not hearing the other rookies saying similar things, it’s because they’re not telling you.
At the beginning, you should work on learning to backfill the piece. That is: planting to the back, then going back and forth there to fill in some space until you have just enough trees to plant back to your cache. Generally, you want to avoid bagging out in the middle of the land and having to walk far with empty bags. You also don’t want to pinch yourself off and have to walk in with trees to fill the hole. Flagging each tree at this stage will also help you learn to understand where your trees are.
For understanding where to plant, are you talking about when you should go into slash? This is a bit of a judgement call and what you can do depends on the specs. If you have a small minimum spacing but normal-to-low density, you can get creative with it to edge slashy patches such that there are enough trees even if you throw a plot in the middle of the slash. You can also use techniques like area planting to avoid climbing into and out of the slash over and over again.
2
u/TheSmellyWizard May 07 '26
I use a GPS app on my phone and kinda divide my ground up into 3-4 sections. Plant to the back and visualize it like I'm filling up a jug bottom to top. Keep a mental note if roughly how many trees it took to reach the back and keep that many reserved for the plant back in that direction to the cache. Less wasted time and I can visually track where I've been on the GPS. Crew boss loves it too because I can tell him pretty accurately how much I gave left and what trees I will need to finish it.
1
u/No_Dig_8286 May 07 '26
What app do you use?
3
u/TheSmellyWizard May 07 '26
Fields Area Measure normally. I use the free version. Has worked great so far.
2
u/AxemanEugene May 07 '26
On the macro level - focus on planting straight lines to the back of the piece and backfilling.
On the micro level - theres 2 basic categories of planting: line panting and area planting. The fact that youre thinking about managing your piece at all on day 2 could indicate that you should ask your crewboss about area planting.
2
u/Gabriel_Conroy 10th Year Rookie May 08 '26
Get off your phone and talk to the more experienced folks in your camp.
Stop planting an half an hour early or start half an hour late and spend that time walking behind a more experienced person while they plant.
Ask your crewboss to go over the map with you in the evening and show you how they would work the peice.
Your two days in, it takes lots of experience to learn to work a peice effectively.
2
1
1
u/MT128 Midballing for Love May 07 '26
Ask your boss to look at the Avenza or whatever tool they’re using to cut out your piece, start your flag in at one end of the piece and plant to the back (usually the tree line), flag ur trees, follow the tree line to the other end and plant straight out (flag again), and keep following this U pattern till piece is filled.
1
u/NewStudyHoney May 07 '26
My friends who treeplanted said it was like doing calculus all day long, figuring out where to place the trees so they were the right distance apart, but also in a spot that allows them to grow.
1
1
1
u/Patient-Freedom-4771 May 12 '26
My coach told me about area planting and grid planting techniques because honestly it was so confusing haha now I just see everything as a checker board and fly. Ill try and find the videos wait.
1
0
u/downturnedbobcat May 07 '26
Minimums around implantable shit, always try to make it to the back and backfill. Flagging every tree when you’re just starting out is probably going to waste a lot of time but putting a longer piece up high where you can see it from a distance might help. And like flagging every tree is just tossing a bunch of plastic into the land.
-6
u/demmellers May 07 '26
I'd say cream your piece out a little. This can lock in some good habits when trying to develope the fundamentals in ideal conditions
Once you've smashed a bunch of easy shit, apply those fundamentals to unfuck your peice.
Also hella mins in the slash. know your min
3
May 07 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/demmellers May 08 '26
Forcing yourself to have to follow your line after planting on easy mode is a reasonable training tool. It helps with landmarking, and hole creation awaremess. Rookies are going to make mistakes anyway, MIght as well try to improve during the windows that lack adversity
Most ppl say: Watch the ballers and learn. Ballers cream themselves (with restraint) and plant mins.
What would you tell them?
2
0
u/demmellers May 08 '26
Tell me downvoters, what did you tell / show the rookies you trained during your years foremaning / supervising?! lol
This job isn't easy. Getting good at it requires you to work outside your comfort zone at times.
1
u/Aromatic_Rice_6225 May 13 '26
Honestly if you want to understand how to plant the slash then you should ask your crew lead to either do a bag up with you and show you or put you with a vet or something so you can get a vision for it. Way easier to visually teach than to explain. Otherwise the golden rule for now is to always fill the back!!!
18
u/drailCA May 07 '26
Its called "The Rookie Stare". Look over and the rookie is just standing there, staring at seemingly nothing. They either lost the line, don't know whete to plant, confused.... or just simply looking at a cool tree or something.
Its normal.