Episode 37: The Godfather with Dirk Brinkman

Well, if you are involved in this community, you know who Dirk Brinkman is!! For those who aren't and who don't know, Dirk Brinkman is the mastermind behind everything we do in modern treeplanting today; from the gear we use with our bags and shovels to the way that we plant our pieces. Dirk is an incredible man who started his career 50 years ago, first as a faller and then progressing into treeplanting. We talk about getting his start in this industry and how it changed his life. For Dirk, everything is about flow state, and he goes into this topic immensely as one of the absolutely incredible parts of what we can access with treeplanting. From this conversation we cover the evolution of what its like as a treeplanter, and how your body adapts not only to the act of planting, but also to the land you walk on everyday. We naturally touch on how treeplanting has changed since the 70s (surprise: it wasn't all hippies despite what you may think!), and what its been like for Dirk to see the forests he's planted. Through the conversation he outlines and weaves in all of the reasoning and processes behind the way all of our rules and regulations towards treeplanting are set today, with a good history lesson about how silviculture has progressed in Canada. Speaking of, he answers the age old question about treeplanting in the US, and what it used to look like vs. what it does now! An incredible episode from the Godfather himself about all things treeplanting, why things are the way things are and why it still continues today! A must listen for any treeplanter out there. LINKS This is the book mentioned by Dirk about the planting cooperative in the US: https://www.amazon.ca/Birth-Cooperative-Hoedads-Worker-Forest/dp/0938493094