You Can Make $30 A Day Planting Tree On Contract!

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A LITTLE HELP FROM A FRIEND

If you have absolutely no idea what to quote for replanting a unit, talk to the forester in your area. He's not supposed to actually help you prepare your bid . . . but he can give you an idea of what the previous year's bids were for similar areas.

You may also want to talk to others who've had past experience in this reforestation work. Remember though, if you consult with someone who's still interested in securing contracts for himself, that he (or she) may try to mislead you in order to increase his (or her) own chances for the very job you want.

As a final tip, I've been awarded contracts for bids ranging from $22 to $38 per thousand trees. And, in the future, I'm going to lean toward the higher figure to give me a more reasonable return for my efforts.

THE AWARDS

You'll be notified prior to planting season if you're awarded a contract. The notification will specify the planting units for which you'll be responsible, the payments you'll receive, and the time in which you must complete the jobs. You'll also be asked to contact the forester in your area to arrange a schedule of tree delivery and to discuss your plans for meeting your contracts' requirements.

(One of the beauties of this work is the fact that the U.S. Forest Service provides the trees, a training session, and ?usually?all the equipment you'll need to complete a job.)

PLANT THOSE TREES!

Your forester will accompany you on your first day out to make sure you're working in the right place and that you know what to do. He'll show you how to take care of your seedlings, how to plant them, and how to cover a unit most efficiently. He'll even tell you exactly what he'll be looking for when he comes around later to make an inspection of your work.

This inspection will have a great bearing on your payment after you complete a contract, so pay close attention when the forester explains the mechanics of the examination. In general, he'll be checking out:

[1] SPACING. Within certain limits, the trees you set must be correctly spaced apart. We usually plant ours on an 8-foot by 8-foot grid.

[2] ROOT COLLAR DEPTH. For the best chance of survival, each seedling must be placed in the earth so that the point where its stem meets its roots is located right at ground level.

[3] FIRMNESS OF SOIL AROUND SEEDLINGS. A transplanted tree will soon die if enough pockets of air surround its roots. It is important, then, that the earth is snugly pushed against the roots of each seedling you set. If a transplant can be raised out of the ground easily when you grasp just a few of its needles and pull, you're not pressing the soil firmly enough around the tree's roots.

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