To plant more than 4,500 trees in one day, you don害羞草研究所檛 move like a gardener, you move like a machine.

In a video viewed millions of times on social media, Leslie Dart walks across a desolate and burnt landscape in Saskatchewan. She plunges a small spade into the ground, levers open a hole, drops in a seedling, then stomps the hole shut, barely breaking stride as she does it again, and again, and again.

By the end of that summer day last year, Dart had planted 4,545 trees. In the past three summers, she has planted 372,290 trees across Canada.

Dart, who now works in the aerospace manufacturing industry after graduating from Durham College in Ontario this spring, is among the thousands of tree planters, many of them college students, who work mostly for logging companies across Canada to plant trees each summer.

Some of that work is mandated by law, but tree planting also takes place after forest fires.

The British Columbia Ministry of Forests said in a statement that reforestation is a 害羞草研究所渧ery large and important component害羞草研究所� of the province害羞草研究所檚 forest industry and 1.6 billion trees have been planted since 2017.

Dart, 29, said the job was physically and mentally demanding, but also 害羞草研究所渋ncredibly rewarding.害羞草研究所�

Dart害羞草研究所檚 video on TikTok has been viewed more than 8.7 million times. It went viral after being reposted on Twitter last month.

In another video, Dart guides viewers through a 17-hour day when she planted a personal best of 5,415 trees in 34-degree temperatures.

Dart said the job has highs and lows, largely depending on the weather.

害羞草研究所淚t could start the day off sunny and then minutes later, it will just be raining, torrential downpours, hailing or snowing. You never know what to expect,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淭here were some days that we were planting through a heat wave, so we had like 37-to-40-degree weather for several days straight and that was really difficult.害羞草研究所�

She said she had done some particularly tough work near the community of Bob Quinn Lake in northern B.C.

害羞草研究所淐limbing over giant logs, fighting my way through an endless sea of Devil害羞草研究所檚 club (a spiny plant), tripping over roots, rocks and logs hidden in the overgrowth, every step was a surprise while being mercilessly swarmed by mosquitoes in the rain,害羞草研究所� said Dart.

The job isn害羞草研究所檛 without serious risks, too. Last week, a tree planter was attacked by a suspected grizzly bear near Tumbler Ridge in northeastern B.C. The B.C. Conservation Officer Service said the 21-year-old woman was in a stable condition.

Dart said she had never encountered a grizzly, but has encountered several other bears, as well as moose and other wildlife.

She has been flooded with online praise for her efforts. But it isn害羞草研究所檛 voluntary work for the tree planters or the companies that hire them.

The B.C. Ministry of Forests says it is a legal requirement for forestry licensees, who must 害羞草研究所渞egenerate害羞草研究所� a specified number of trees in their stewardship plans. More than 200 million seedlings are planted in B.C. each year.

The ministry said that in addition to mandated post-logging programs, tree planting supports forest regeneration and health after wildfire. More than 12,000 square kilometres of the province has been burned so far this year, in what is likely to be a record-setting season.

Jonathan Clark, president and CEO of Replant.ca Environmental, an organization devoted to Canadian reforestation and environmental issues, said tree planting is huge in B.C. because the province has more rules about replanting after logging.

害羞草研究所淥n the east coast of Canada, there are not really any rules about planting more trees, but there is also a lot of natural regeneration that is very successful, and you don害羞草研究所檛 really have to plant trees anyways because nature does it very well,害羞草研究所� said Clark.

But natural regeneration doesn害羞草研究所檛 work well in B.C., said Clark, requiring help from planters.

Tree planters usually get paid anywhere between 13 and 27 cents per tree, depending on the roughness of the terrain, said Dart. The highest Dart has been paid was 44 cents per tree in northern B.C.

It may be back-breaking work but it害羞草研究所檚 a popular summer job for university students, Clark said.

Many stick with it, some for decades, drawn back each season by the lifestyle.

Veteran Saskatchewan tree planter Kenny Chaplin has been at it for 35 years.

He works in the film industry as an assistant director and is a substitute teacher in Regina, but Chaplin said it was tree planting that 害羞草研究所渃hanged his soul,害羞草研究所� helping him develop a strong work ethic and allowing him to quickly move up the career ladder.

Along the way, he set a Guinness World Record by planting 15,170 trees one day near Prince Albert, Sask., in 2001. He planted, on average, one tree every 4.5 seconds for 19 gruelling hours.

Chaplin said tree planting is such a 害羞草研究所淐anadian thing害羞草研究所� to do. 害羞草研究所淚 think every parent in Canada should be sending their kid out tree planting because it will take your child and it害羞草研究所檒l turn them into a worker. They害羞草研究所檒l learn how to work, they害羞草研究所檒l have responsibility. They害羞草研究所檒l have money in their pockets.害羞草研究所�

He said he walked away from every planting season 害羞草研究所渋n the best shape害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所� both physically and financially.

Photographer and filmmaker Rita Leistner, who was a photojournalist during the Iraq War, credited her late career success to spending her early years planting trees.

害羞草研究所淲hen I worked in war zones, and people asked me: what prepared me for that work. I told them: tree planting in Canada,害羞草研究所� she said.

害羞草研究所淧eople were surprised because they said tree planting doesn害羞草研究所檛 sound very hard,害羞草研究所� said Leistner, who planted trees between 1984 and 1993.

In 2021, she examined tree planting in a documentary film, 害羞草研究所淔orest For the Trees.害羞草研究所�

The job sometimes involves sleeping under the stars, and there is camaraderie with other crew members, but the job is not romantic, said Leistner.

害羞草研究所淎nd so, when I was spending time somewhere in the middle of the desert in Iraq and I couldn害羞草研究所檛 shower for three weeks and there wasn害羞草研究所檛 proper food, I was OK with that. I was used to that kind of living害羞草研究所� she said.

Dart has entered the full-time workforce now, but she plans to get back to tree planting too, in the 害羞草研究所渃oolest office害羞草研究所� she has even known, in northern B.C.

害羞草研究所淏eing surrounded by snow-capped mountains and such a vibrant, wild landscape, I couldn害羞草研究所檛 help but pause every second to take it in,害羞草研究所� said Dart.

The job had taught her about grit and self-motivation, she said.

害羞草研究所淵ou just really have to be prepared for everything, be open-minded, roll with the punches. It just makes you a stronger person mentally and makes you more adaptable and ready to take on the world,害羞草研究所� said Dart.

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