June 5, 2008

was asked to plant the 5,999,999,998th tree for the reforestation of British Columbia's reforesting program early this morning. Today the province celebrated the planting of its 6 Billionth tree planted and I got to watch it as a little 4 year old girl, who is a 3rd generation tree planter, put it into the hole she dug. I was hoping that the little seedling would have some kind of barrier or plaque or something so everyone forever would be able to know this was the 6 billionth one to be planted. Even though there are photos of it, by tomorrow it will just blend in with rest of the thousands of pine and spruce which are to be planted in the that block this summer. 

Picture Above: Me, getting to plant a baby pine seedling into the cut block which is being reforested. (If you can find the white arrow, the tree is just to the right of the arrow.) It was the 5,999,999,998th tree to be planted in British Columbia. I love my job! 

Picture Below: The 6,000,000,000th tree to be planted in a Silva culture program with British Columbia's reforestation project. 

It was a dreary wet day, but the tree planters did not seem to find. Most of them were dressed for it. Each tree has to hand planted, so these underrated people deserve a hand in helping our forests. They deal with bending over all day, packing hundreds of trees on their shoulders, deal with extreme heat or cold, (or somewhere in between for a happy medium), mosquitoes and Blackflies (basically the mosquitoes take whatever is left of you after the Blackflies are done), live out in rough camps, brave bears and willingly do this all season. Kudos to you all!!

On the way back, I got to see what I have only seen once before. A bull moose. And he stood there for a good five minutes. He was a large fellow and probably as close to a moose as I have ever been (I am not counting the dead ones in my ditch). He is just growing his antlers, he will be magnificent in the Fall. I would love to see him then.

It is hazy in the picture, as that is how rainy it was. The radio is calling for snow in the higher elevations tonight. That would probably be here on the homestead.