Hey everyone!
I'm a 27-year-old Belgian forestry worker, and I've been working in the forestry sector for around 4–5 years. I'm now self-employed, mainly doing forestry-related work in Belgium.
I've always dreamed of doing at least one tree planting season in Canada, and I'm finally looking into making it happen this year.
I've already done quite a lot of planting in Belgium (also for a few months in Iceland), so I'm not new to physical forestry work, but obviously I have no Canadian tree planting experience. This brings me to my first question: would I still be considered a rookie, and should I apply for rookie positions despite my previous planting experience?
I'm mainly looking at British Columbia. I'd love to experience some challenging (mountainous) terrain and see a different side of forestry (here, planting) from what I'm used to in Belgium.
One of my main concerns is choosing the right company. I've checked out some of the resources and previous posts on this subreddit, which are definitely helpful, but there's a lot to go through, and it's still difficult to get a clear picture of what different companies are actually like. From what I've gathered, choosing the right company can make a huge difference to your overall experience.
Here's what I'm looking for:
- Bush camps: Since I'm coming all the way from Belgium specifically to experience Canadian tree planting, I'd really like to spend the season in proper remote bush camps rather than motels or camps based in town.
- A safe and genuinely inclusive work environment: A queer-friendly and women-friendly company is a must for me. I'm a straight white guy myself, but I really care about working somewhere where people are treated with respect. Racism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, and similar bullshit are absolute deal-breakers for me. I'm fine with people having different political opinions, but discrimination and bigotry are a HARD NO.
- A good balance between work and partying: I enjoy having a few drinks and partying from time to time, but I'm primarily there to work. I'd prefer a crew that knows how to have fun without turning every night into a massive party. I've heard some stories about some bush camps basically being an absolute "nightclub" every night, which is totally fine, but not for me; I would probably die of social anxiety after a few weeks if I were expected to party every night.
- Challenging planting conditions: I'm interested in experiencing tougher terrain and remote areas in BC. That's part of what attracts me to planting in Canada: experiencing a REAL difference compared to my planting seasons in Belgium.
I've come across All Stars, for example, and it initially looked like it might be a good fit. However, I've also heard that they often operate out of motels or camps in town rather than remote bush camps, which makes me a little less interested.
So, which companies would you recommend looking into, given these priorities? I'd especially appreciate firsthand experiences regarding camp life, crew culture, inclusivity, and how seriously safety is taken.
If any of you have any questions about forestry work in Belgium and/or Europe, feel free to ask :)