Reforestation Tree Planting (US)
Private silviculture contractors in the Pacific Northwest; some agency/conservation-corps hourly crews
Pays you
$15–$22/hr
Two pay models. HOURLY ($15-$22/hr) is typical of government and conservation employers and is what a beginner should target — most beginners earn more hourly than on piece rate. PIECE RATE runs roughly $0.10-$0.30 per tree; experienced planters putting in 1,500-2,500 trees a day earn substantially more, but a first-week rookie planting a few hundred trees a day can fall below minimum wage before make-up pay. Housing and meals are usually NOT provided by US contractors — crews commonly share motel rooms or camp at their own cost, and that lodging cost is the deduction to budget for. Some contractors deduct transport or lodging from pay; confirm which. Not reliably sourceable. Because lodging is generally self-funded and unlike park or lodge work there is no free bed, net is meaningfully below gross.
$200–$1,000 upfront to start
Planting seedlings on logged or burned ground, paid either hourly by agency and conservation employers or by the tree on private contract crews. The famous high-earning version of this job is Canadian and is not open to Americans without a work permit.
- Term
- 1 mo–4 mo
- Housing
- Not provided
- Airfare
- Not covered
- Selectivity
- Open enrollment
- Age
- 18+
- Citizenship
- Any citizenship
Deadlines
- 2027 planting seasonrollingRolling / no fixed deadline
The US planting season is late winter to spring — roughly January through May in the Pacific Northwest, not summer. Hire in the fall and early winter for a late-winter start. This does NOT stack with a summer job the way most entries here do; it stacks with a summer fire or park season.
Verified 9/12/2026 · www.jobmonkey.com