Introduction

The Planting Company was established in 2000 and was created from a division of Shuswap Silvics Ltd (est. 1987). The Planting Company has extensive experience with the Whitecourt and Rocky Mountain House areas of reforestation. For 2011, The Planting Company has over 2 million trees to plant in these areas from May 18- July 25 and will be able employ 30 planters.

The Planting Company’s Mission Statement

The Planting Company’s main mission is to provide long term local employment for its many dedicated Siliviculture employees in Alberta. With this dedicated local work force we will provide our clients with an impeccable safety record and health & safety program, the best possible cost and workmanship. The Planting Company is COR certified and ensures that all work sites conform to health and safety regulations and company policies to provide long term benefits to employees by maintaining a healthy & accident free work place.  The Planting Company is an equal opportunity employer.

Health & Safety and the Environment

The Planting Company’s vision is to be an industry leader in health & safety and environmental practices. The Planting Company is an active participant in the Partners in Injury Reduction program with Alberta Forest Products Association as our certifying partner and has held a Certificate of Recognition for 7 years now. Current OH&S legislation and copies of the company safety policy are kept on site at all times. Daily tailgate meetings are held by forepersons and weekly safety meetings by the manager. Our key management personnel have been certified in the environmental management system provided by the Ministry of Forests BC. All of our management have up to date S-100 fire training, first aid, and class 4 driver licenses.

Quality Control

To ensure a high level of quality control we make sure that all management and workers are continually made aware of the client’s & The Planting Company’s tree-planting procedures including;
camp move notices
evacuation procedures
daily reports on tree care including temperature ranges
proper tree handling and storage
mapping
seedlot verification and tracking F-layer planting and microsite selection
Forepersons plot and record information for each block to ensure quality and excess are standards are being met or exceeded. Managers have daily quality meeting with forepersons and tree planters. Each camp will have an office with a laptop computer and accessories for the purpose of inter-company and client communication via e-mail, hard copy or both. . Copies of our Health & Safety Plant and Certifications are available upon request.

Stock Handling

Seedlings are always handled with care form the time they leave the reefer until they are planted in the ground. We do not tolerate any rough handling of the seedlings. A sign out sheet is kept at all main tree caches of reefer and management is accountable to keep proper stock types for each block and accurate numbers and where they were planted. This information is kept on file and is available to the client on request. Daily production is communicated to the client each day. All tree caches have silvicool tarps and forepersons will take temperature readings.

Camp Operation and Equipment

Each camp consists of;

30-40 planters
1 manager
3 forepersons
1 cook and 1 camp helper
4-person shower trailer
outhouses
dry tent
heated 18 x 40 dining tent
3 Honda 450 quads with 10 box capacity trailers
20 foot tandem trailer
Our kitchens are a 20 foot trailer and bus with hot and cold running water, propane stoves, refrigerators, freezers, exhaust fans, food storage, etc. Transportation is provided by 4X4 crew cabs with insulated 48 box canopies. Our camps adhere to and exceed all provincial health and safety guidelines.