QSL Tree Planting

Pre-Season Training Program

What We Offer:

5 day work week (Monday – Friday)
8.5 hr work day (on site)
Travel times generally 30 – 60 minutes (one way)
100% pay bi-monthly – (first cheques to be issued May 15)
100% direct award contracts
100% experienced crew
100% of foremen have necessary first aid training and Class 4 drivers license
Each crew vehicle is a WCB certified ETV and contains all required first aid & fire equipment
100% of vehicles operate with "road channel" radio
We pride ourselves on a high level of organization and minimal down time (weather fluctuations are the exception!)

People Insulated Seedling Transport

In 2001, QSL changed its transportation methods after working with Nor Mar Industries to convert 3 F-350 crew cabs to newly designed "Silviculture Units". These units were designed and built in Penticton by Nor Mar Industries. Each of these units carries 10 people, the trees for the day and are certified WCB ETVs. These vehicles meet all safety and transportation requirements and keep each vehicle self contained with all necessary first aid equipment and fire tools. Reviews from crew members over the past 5 years have been good. At QSL we feel that our number one risk for serious injury and damage is driving and transportation – these units allow us to run minimal vehicles with consistent drivers (your foremen).

2012 Letter

2012 is an exciting year for the company. We have our largest season ever of 2.5 million seedlings. Being small provides a sense of family as the owners, Scott and Paula and our supervisors know all members of the crew. We can respond quickly to needs of our staff and to our clients. Our clients are Weyerhaeuser, Gorman Bros, USIB, LSIB and Tolko Industries. All of these clients have been with us for many years with the exception of a new client: Tolko. Our land is primarily prepped with disc trench and mounding; the ground that is not prepped is planted raw where obstacle planting is mandatory. Rates are competitive for the Southern Okanagan and our season is the longest in the area; starting early May and ending Mid July.

About the company

Quastuco Silviculture Ltd. has been in business since 1991. Our name stands for Quality Student Company. It’s our goal to employ university students so they can make enough money that they do not need to rely on student loans. We plant approximately 1.5-2.0 million seedlings per year. We have had two main clients over the past 15 years; they are Weyerhaeuser Company and Gorman Bros Lumber Ltd. Our operating area extends from the 49th parallel to just north of Kelowna and from Princeton to Penticton. Our strategy statement is ‘Quality in every step’ and our safety strategy is ‘Nothing we do is worth getting hurt over’. We take these two statements seriously.

What You Need to Work for Us

You need to have at least one year of experience, preferably of Interior BC planting.
First Aid is an asset but not mandatory
A valid class four licence is an asset but not mandatory
Sorry but we do not hire inexperienced planters

What Are We Looking For?

We are looking for a strong team of energized university students looking for a fun, safe and productive season
The ideal planter for Quastuco will be a positive, self motivated individual capable of working in a pure production environment.
Give us a try, we won’t let you down.

Pricing Objectives

Our pricing objectives are set to match the wages of our local competitors. We pride ourselves in the ability to manage our projects in such a way that you can be more productive than our competition, as a result, making more money. Our lowest price for 2011 is 13c. This is for our fasted ground usually disc trenched or mounded. Production on this ground is estimated from last year around 1750-1800 for the good average planter. Our as is ground is highly variable, some of it is faster than prepped ground, but most is usually slower at about 1500-1700 per day. The rates for this type of ground are 14-17c. Either way the average daily pay is estimated at $238, if your faster you will make more.

Quality Objectives

Our quality objectives vary from client to client; one thing in common is the need to achieve higher than 92.7% on all sites. For our Weyerhaeuser client we strive to achieve between 93 and 95% for our Gorman Bros client we strive to achieve 94-96%.

Safety Objectives

Quastuco Silviculture Ltd has one goal; to have everyone start the season and make as much money as they can and end the season healthier than when they arrive. We have had zero lost time accidents with Weyerhaeuser for four years. With Gorman’s we did have a tendonitis case last year that grounded a planter for four weeks. We strive for pre season conditioning and 100% support the ‘Fit to Plant’ program. Information is available on our website.

A little more.....

We work five days a week taking weekends off. We try to work out of hotels for the season, as such we work 80% of our season out of the small town of Penticton located in the Okanagan Valley. It’s hot and dry and does not rain that much. You can plant your five days a week and then go rock climbing to relax for the weekend.
If you require more information I can be reached by email or by phone.

Scott Overland
www.quastuco.com
250-809-8619
Scott.quastuco@shaw.ca