The Dirt: Confessions of a Tree Planter

Josy is a yoga teacher in St. John’s, Newfoundland and she is entering her third planting season. She fell in love with yoga in 2012 after taking her first yoga class in the hopes it would help her process the loss of her father. This one class was a powerful experience and she now maintains a deep respect for all the benefits that come with a regular practice. Since then, she has completed 500 hours of yoga teacher training. She took on her first yoga teacher training in 2016, completing her 200 hour YTT in Toronto, Ontario. Eager to learn more, she soon after completed a 300 hour advanced yoga teacher training in Vinyasa flow in Goa, India. In the summer of 2017, Josy moved to Newfoundland where she is currently studying Psychology off season, and planting trees in BC in the spring/summer. When she is not planting trees, practicing asana, and meditating, she is making music, art, writing poetry, or basking among trees in a forest. LINKS YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68Tsg5j-mYw&t=45s&ab_channel=JosyL%E2%80%99Astronaute YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuTv7ckZnXtLVlDhTIMXJhQ Poses: Sucirandhrasana (Reverse pigeon): https://www.tummee.com/yoga-poses/reverse-pigeon-pose Utthan Pristhasana (Lizard): https://yogalily.com/utthan-pristhasana-lizard-pose/ Vajrasana (toe squat variation): https://nancynelsonyoga.com/2017/01/10/pose-breakdown-toe-squat/ Supta Matsyendrasana variation (twisted scorpion): https://www.tummee.com/yoga-poses/scorpion-twist-pose

8 Apr 20211h 1min

Sorry Gab, this episode was recorded in the winter of 2020 and then I didn't want to release it once the season had started...alas here we are! Some things have changed but ultimately much of it still rings true, especially all of the preparatory content in here about bringing a new dog out to the block. Aside from her occasional smelly farts, Della is a really well trained bush dog. I hope this conversation brings you all some new information and some help to prep for the season!

1 Apr 202150min

Charlotte Gill is the author of Eating Dirt, a national bestseller that won the B.C. National Award for Canadian Nonfiction. This title was also a finalist for the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize and the RBC Taylor Prize. Charlotte was a planter for 17 years before leaving the industry to pursue a full time writing career. We talk about her longstanding career, how and why she wrote a book on planting, and her thoughts on the industry now having been out of the game for a long time. A great episode for a little more insight into the author behind the most well known book on treeplanting!  LINKS http://charlottegill.com/ https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/eating-dirt-deep-forests-big/9781553657927-item.html?ikwid=eating+dirt&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0#algoliaQueryId=ab4c95340a63b128fd379bd400439f30

25 Mar 202136min

In this episode we shoot the shit, but also begin to talk about life after planting. We cover George's career, as well as the beginning of his drone obsession. If you haven't already watched the One Million Trees doc, go check it out as some of the drone footage in the film is courtesy of George. This is a jam packed conversation about the evolution that occurs not just during planting, but also life.

18 Mar 20211h 18min

Zach Birnie is your average EI ski team member, with a flair for making his own clothes...and hopefully yours! We talk about Zach's planting career thus far, and how he tries to live his life as eco-friendly and conscious as possible; which is ever evolving. We talk about where sewing began for Zach and how it evolved into making not only regular apparel, but also gear for the block. He uses bamboo material to be more friendly to not only the environment but our bodies. I am personally rocking some of his shirts and they are super soft, quick drying and light...really really nice for hot or cool days on the block. I highly recommend putting in a little extra investment to support local and ethically sourced clothing this season! LINKS https://www.instagram.com/drkapparel/ https://www.facebook.com/drkapparel http://darkapparel.net/

17 Mar 202146min

Kerri Dunsmore is an athletic therapist who specializes in the prevention, assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries. What is an athletic therapist exactly you ask? Tune into this episode for the full rundown, which is something I didn't even know. The kicker and her secret weapon is that Kerri is also a planter! She spent 9 seasons in the bush, and in my opinion is therefore one of the most qualified people to be treating our bodies. She is innately aware of and in tune with how and what our bodies get exposed to planting, and how to treat these injuries and issues. We get into her own career and her transition out of planting, and then dive deep into her new 12week pre season conditioning program (you can join at anytime FYI!). I address some issues I have heard from friends of mine, as well as my own issues. I also ask some deep dive questions about off season prevention and preparation, from those who work out continually to those of us who do long seasons and need more rest time. This is a very informative and important episode, so share widely! Kerri is very talented at what she does, and I would encourage anyone with any issues to use the links below to work with her. You can still join into her 12week course anytime so just send her a DM or an email! LINKS Conditioning program and course: kdathletictherapy.thinkific.com Website: kdathletictherapy.ca Email: hello@kdathletictherapy.ca FB: Kerri Dunsmore Athletic Therapy Insta: kd.athletictherapy By appointment only. Virtual and in-person appointments available!

17 Mar 202155min

As my main stay in the industry, it was important that I cover the current issues we are facing as coastal planters. Most of the treeplanting industry doesn't see much of what goes on over here on Vancouver Island, where there are many of the same but also different issues facing companies out here. Scott moved into management early on in his career, and we cover how he navigated the tree planting world to come to where he is today, running operations at a small coastal company. We talk about how important the mentorship process is and how it influences so much of how you get to where you want to go in this small industry where integrity is everything and someones word goes a long way. This is a great episode for someone who is looking to also move up in management and is curious about what its like to move into the role of supervising and also ownership of a planting company.  We then discuss the current realities here on the coast, and how the effects of larger companies coming from the interior affect life for coastal treeplanters. It is an important discussion that needs to be had, as so many planters who migrate out this way wanting to try out the coast are often working for companies who are also putting life for small island-based contractors at risk. It is a competitive industry, but as planters we need to continue putting our shovel in places of integrity if we want to see heart-based change. We discuss the fall of 2020 and its effects on the companies here. I believe these are issues that all planters need to be made aware of so we can continue to support the livelihood of coastal planting for many years to come.

17 Mar 202156min

Dani Kidston decided to find her place in the planting world by creating it. We go into her lengthy career thus far in the industry and what she's been creating with her fellow cohorts. This episode was recorded last winter, and so they now have new projects and ventures on the go which you can follow up with on their facebook page and also TWIG (Tree Workers Industrial Group), which includes coop members creating projects within the planting world. If you have listened to the earlier episode about Ben Prunty, you can hear more about some of the help she has received in making this planting cooperative a reality, and how it continues to grow today. If you are interested in a different style of operation within planting, this is a great spot to start! LINKS https://www.facebook.com/treeamigos.coop/ http://treeworkersindustrialgroup.work/ https://www.facebook.com/Tree-Workers-Industrial-Group-TWIG-200226974216707 Contact: tree.amigos.silviculture@gmail.com

18 Feb 202132min