QSL Tree Planting
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 Seeding 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).
2009 Letter
It's the New Year and it’s time to think about planting. In some ways it seems like just a blink since we all left each other in July. I hope that you have all had an enjoyable time over the fall. Some of you are busy studying, others are traveling or working. There are some changes this year for our planting operations. Please take a couple of moments to read this and contact us if you wish to return this season.
We were able to secure all of our work with Weyerhaeuser Company and Gorman Bros Lumber. Work should start in mid to late April and finish in the first week of July. All of our work will be out of Penticton. We have secured the Apple Tree Inn for another season. With this accommodation there will be no need to move. This should give us some continuity for the season.
Last year was a challenging year for. We fought hard weather and I had tried to make some changes that proved to not work well at all. We are taking a different approach this year, and it is an approach that models what had made Quastuco so successful in the past. This season we will be back to a five and two work schedule with 8.5 hours per day on the block. There will be two consecutive days off every week. All of the crews will have the same day off. This is the key to a successful season. As mentioned before, we will be at the Apple Tree Inn and I have worked out an arrangement with Paul to keep you happy and healthy there. There will be no more than two people per room and we will not have to check out on different weekends. Once you move in you stay until the season is over.
Safety, quality and production will continue to be of the highest importance to Quastuco. Once again, we will adopt the quality first concept where production will not be increased until we are meeting and exceeding quality standards. When the Company and foreman are satisfied, you the planter will be able to maximize your production.
My hopes are that when we have these systems in place we will be able to outperform any crew in the province. Focusing on safety, quality and production, we will meet our end goals of profitability.
Now to talk about the season. The season is broken up into three contracts. The first is our long standing Weyerhaeuser contract. The second is Gorman Bros Lumber and the third is Capacity Forest Management which supervises the LSIB contract out of Keremeos. The Weyerhaeuser contract is for approximately 850,000 trees, followed by Gormans spring trees at 356,000 trees. Capacity will provide us with 262,000 summer trees and Gormans has 183,000 summer trees. The work is in the traditional operation area which extends from Okanagan Falls to the South and reaching as far north as Big White ski hill. To the west, the program extends from Apex Alpine ski hill to the summit of the Coquihalla. All of these jobs will be serviced from Penticton.
Prices for 2009 will remain stable and be similar to 2008. The ground is generally the same with a mixture of disc trenching, mounding and as is ground. The as-is ground will require mandatory obstacles and screefing. The blocks are generally large this year and have fair to good access.
The crew structure this year will be as follows. There will be only two crews this year. Each crew will consist of our traditional nine planters. With crew size down from last year I would like those that want to come back to check in early this year, as I am afraid we will have to turn planters away.
I hope that you will find the next couple of months enjoyable. The days are getting longer and the sun will start to shine sooner than later. Keep in touch everyone and enjoy the moment.
Scott Overland