Tree Planting

SEASONAL FORESTRY TECHNICIAN / TREE PLANTER / BACKPACK SPRAYER

Company: Bartram Woodlands Ltd.
Location: Guelph, Waterloo Region, Ontario

Term: Full-Time Position (10-week fixed-term Employment Contract)
Start Date: April 22, 2026
Completion Date: June 30, 2026
Note: Contract will end when seasonal forestry work is complete. Option to extend the contract until July 31, 2026 - if mutually agreeable and summer work remains available. Opportunity for additional seasonal employment in from September 15, 2026 to December 15, 2026.

***Applications will not be considered without a Cover Letter and Resume***

Job Description – Seasonal Forestry Technician and Forestry Labourer

Outdoor manual labour in all-weather conditions on rural and urban forested properties in Southern Ontario.

Position will involve seasonal planting of bare-root tree seedlings or small potted stock by hand, as well as backpack herbicide application for tending of seedlings and invasive species control. May also include some invasive brush chipping, watering trees and manual weed control. Applicants with mechanical aptitude may be assigned to plant trees with farm tractor and planting machinery.

All work requires excellent fitness and mental stamina and will give workers valuable practical experience in typical southern Ontario forestry operations. This is an excellent opportunity Forestry Technician students/recent graduates who are seeking experience with common restoration forestry practices. Suitable candidates may also receive training to assist with the supervision of tree planting and backpack sprayer crews.

Forest Technician skills will be required as needed to assist or complete the following:

• Tree Planting Quality Assessments
• Treeplanting Database Record Keeping
• Post-plant Site Inspections and Maintenance Reports
• Plantation Survival Assessments
• Invasive Species Management and Restoration Planting Plans

NOTE: This hands-on position requires maturity, physical stamina, communication skills and safe driving ability.

To succeed you will need to work to the full extent of your physical capacity for the duration of our tree planting and invasive species control season. We will provide thorough training to assist you in maximizing your potential earnings as quickly as possible. Many tasks will be paid by piecework with opportunity for additional reward for hard work.

Work is based from Guelph, and all staff must have their own accommodation in the Guelph area for the duration of the contract period. Board and accommodation in the Guelph area is not provided. Frequent out-of-town projects will also require accommodation in hotels on many weeknights. All hotel accommodation and transport are supplied at no cost to employees, but you must supply and prepare your own food each day. A daily accommodation allowance of $25 is paid for each night spent in a hotel.

Job Requirements

• Ability to work outdoors while completing repetitive tasks, crouching/bending down, and standing and walking all day in various off-trail terrain while carrying heavy planting bags/backpack herbicide tank. Required to carry loads of 40-50 lbs daily.

• Able to travel and stay in hotels out-of-town for up to 4 nights per week when required. Cannot have personal commitments (e.g. pets, babysitting, appointments, classes etc.) in Guelph/area in conflict with work requiring hotel accommodation.
• Personal accommodation is required in the Guelph area for training days, weekends, and all local work where hotel stays are not required.
• Comfortable working alone and in a group setting.
• Strong work ethic, motivated to work hard, competitive mindset.
• Able to communicate fluently in English.
• Must be able to tolerate flying and biting insects (mosquitos, blackflies, deer flies, ants, etc.), potential wasps/bees. Ticks are common on some properties.
• Must be able to tolerate working in all weather conditions (cold, heat, intense sun, rain, etc.).
• Must be able to work safely around sharp and thorny brush (blackberries, brambles, hawthorn, buckthorn), stinging nettle, and poisonous plants (primarily poison ivy/oak, occasional giant hogweed).
• Forest Technician or Forestry Degree graduate.

• G-class driver’s license with a satisfactory driving record (maximum 2 demerit points).
• Pesticide Technician Certificate: Employees will be expected to study for and pass a written in-person exam on their own time (all application and license fees are paid by Bartram Woodlands).

Any of the following skills/ training will be considered strong assets:

• Leadership skills and supervisory potential
• Demanding outdoor labour experience
• High-performance fitness training or organized sports training
• 1st Aid Certification
• Forestry Pesticide Applicator License (Technician or Exterminator)
• Experience driving work vehicles: pick-up trucks, trailers, farm machinery
• Mechanical aptitude: repairs, trouble shooting, and maintenance

Working Hours, Training and Compensation Details

Daily Hours: Approximately 7:00AM to 5:30 PM Monday through Friday. NOTE: Working hours vary daily from 8-12 hours/day depending on weather and piecework conditions.

Mandatory Safety Training: April 22, 2026 from 9:30am until 3:30PM. Includes orientation with the Bartram Woodlands Safety Program and a review of outdoor worker safety. Hourly compensation for all staff is paid at a rate of $20.00/hour.

3-Day On-site Treeplant Training: Beginning on April 24, 2025, all new and returning seasonal staff must complete this training and orientation to Southern Ontario planting techniques. All work during field training period will be paid hourly at $20.00/hr for new/inexperienced planters, and $24.00/hr for experienced planters with at least 1 previous season of experience.

Backpack Spray Applicator Training: 1 day safety training and equipment practice, prior to the start of regular field work. Training for new applicators will be paid at $22.00 per hour.

Piecework Compensation: Where possible, Bartram Woodlands will pay workers by piecework to improve productivity and provide opportunity for efficient workers to earn higher wages.

1. Backpack Herbicide Application Rates: Piecework Rates: Backpack spot application around tree seedlings is paid on a piecework basis, averaging $0.12- $0.15 per tree. Average daily pay range: $200-$300+/day.
2. Hand Planting Rates: Bare Root Seedlings: $0.35-$0.50 per tree. Average daily piecework pay range: $200-300+/day
3. Machine Planting Rates (if applicable): Paid per 1000 trees planted as a team. Personal rate paid based on experience and qualifications. Average daily pay range: $200-$300+/day

Hourly Compensation: Hourly compensation is only paid for projects that cannot be compensated by piecework.

1. Regular forestry labour is paid at $22.00 per hour (new planters) or $24.00 per hour (experienced planters).
2. Backpack Invasive Spraying is paid on an hourly basis starting at $24.00/hour for unlicensed trainees, $26.00/hour for pesticide technicians and $28.00/hour for licensed applicators.

Travel Time Compensation: Expect 1-3 hours travel daily. All travel time from the company yard to the worksites and back paid at a rate of $18.00/hour. All transportation to the worksites is provided. Note: Employees who cannot travel to the company yard can arrange to be picked up in Guelph (at the loss of a ½ hour of travel time per daily).

Bonus Compensation: Seasonal treeplanters will be eligible for the bonus payments listed below:

1. Contract Completion Bonus (5%): Receive an additional 5% bonus on all accumulated wages for the successful completion of the entire seasonal contract period.

1. Treeplanting Quality Bonus (0-5%): 1% of bonus payment for each percentage above 90% quality, up to 95% - maximum available bonus of 5%. (This bonus does not apply to backpack spraying work.)

Statutory Holiday pay and Overtime: Employees will be paid for all Statutory holidays and regular “time-and-a-half” overtime after 44 hours per week.

How to Apply from GOODWORK:

Contact Sarah Millson by email at: info@bartramwoodlands.ca to request a Treeplanter Information Sheet that will provide a detailed description of the tree planting experience and further instruction on where to upload your resume and cover letter to receive consideration for an online video interview. You should hear back from Sarah within one week of your request.

Please mention you saw this at GoodWork.ca.

On-line Interviews:
Date 1: February 16, 2026
Date 2: February 24, 2026

We will contact you if selected for an interview. Thank you for applying!

***Applications will not be considered without a Cover Letter and Resume***