Brinkman has been successfully operating in Alberta for over 20 years in a variety of silviculture activities. This extensive experience helps us efficiently tackle the varied conditions of the Alberta landscape. From flat ground and trenches to high-lead slopes; from gumbo to heli access, we have seen it all.  Our supervisors and staff are always able to mitigate the project’s complexities for their planters – which keeps productivity and earnings high.  Most of the work we complete in Alberta is direct award – and in these trying time has not been subject to competitive bidding (and therefore the necessary lowering of payouts to our planters).  Our industry-leading reputation and wide access to the market provide premium prices and a long steady season to our employees.
 
The main planting season runs from May until the end of July in Alberta. You must be available to work the entire season - particularly if you are inexperienced. Our crews are typically comprised of 80-90% experienced planters – and highly experienced staff.

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We expect high quality work in Alberta …

What Makes B&A the Company of Choice in Alberta?

Safety Highlights

·               We use high quality 4X4 trucks only; no vans.

·               We have our Certificate of Recognition.  We were one of the first planting companies to attain our PIR (Partners in Injury Reduction) accreditation in Alberta

·               Safety is not just something we talk about – we believe in it and operate accordingly.  We expect our planters to do the same.

Quality Field Leadership

·               Our forepersons are exclusively non-commission. This creates a fair and equitable working environment in terms of allocating land, quality control and ensures time for training

·               Brinkman provides excellent and extensive training to first year planters, as well as skills improvement coaching for experienced planters

·               Our Supervisors are highly experienced – as are their support staff. More experience means less downtime for you. And as we all know, less downtime means more money. The average experience level of our Alberta supervisors is over 15 years

Earnings Potential

·                     Industry leading payouts – excellent prices, appropriate for ground conditions

·                     Our full time payroll team makes sure you are paid every two weeks by direct deposit and are always available to answer questions.

·                     At B&A, the payroll structure is optimized to account for the unique nature of seasonal work. For many of our employees, the benefits of this pay structure translate into $1000-$2000 of increased earnings over a full season of work, compared to what they might experience with other contractors (ask your regional manager for more details)

·                     As the only company that operates tree plants in Ontario, Alberta and BC, we can offer extended seasons through easy mobility between regions

Quality projects, a quality experience

·                     All our projects in Alberta are with long term direct award and preferred bid clients which reduces the stress and confusion of new situations – and ultimately increases potential earnings

·                     All our Alberta projects are within 3 hours of Edmonton! Whether in the foothills or on flat ground - the Miette Hot Springs and Jasper are just a short drive away from all.

·                     Our camps are organized, fun and social.

·                     Brinkman’s cooks are top notch providing you with delicious, nourishing food that powers you up for the planting day.  

Alberta Crew Information

This year the treeplanting industry is feeling the trickledown effects of the difficult times the forestry / logging sector is experiencing.  Our Alberta contracts are all direct award – which is even more important to planters in tough times.  This means that none of the lucrative Brinkman  payouts were subject to the open bid market, and thus did not decrease as they have across most of the region – and in some cases our payouts have increased over last year.  Planter earnings remains a top priority for Brinkman, and we are proud of our high payouts and high earnings.

• Ian Matthews has been with Brinkman for 17 years.  He began his planting career in Ontario and has spent most of his time working in BC.  For the past five years Ian has been supervising in BC (coast and interior), our Washington State project, and in Alberta.  Ian has lots of varied experience and has a loyal support staff and crew.  Ian’s Alberta work is direct award – and has long been one of our most popular projects in Alberta.

• Drew Nener is a highly experienced supervisor (19 years with B&A). He has planted, crewbossed and delivered trees on many licenses across the country, and has supervised the planting of over 23 million trees in the last 8 years.  Drew’s greatest strength lies in his expertise with difficult access projects and his superb logistical planning.  Drew takes great pride in running a smooth contract for staff and planters.  He consistently has a strong group of dedicated planters returning to work with him year after year.

• Tim Hurst is returning to supervise for his 4th year.  Tim has worked for Brinkman’s Alberta Operations for many years including several years as a tree runner where he was an expert in tough access, not uncommon in Alberta.  He and his wife Mary, who completes the project administration, have been a key management team for us in recent years.

• Andy Cameron has worked on many licenses across Ontario and Alberta over the past 13 years: supervising tree plants for several years, as well as numerous other silviculture activities. In the off-season, Andy runs the heavy equipment side of our Restoration department in Southern Ontario. Andy’s greatest strength lies in his expertise with difficult access projects and his superb logistical planning. He worked for 6 years as a tree deliverer in on some of the most logistically challenging projects we have had which has the added benefits of making Andy an expert in the maintenance and repair of equipment from the track machine to the quad; an invaluable asset for any field operation.

Brinkman Alberta’s Regional Management

Judi Tetro Judi Tetro is Brinkman’s Operations Manager for Alberta and Ontario. Judi has been working with Brinkman for the past 21 years. She has intimate knowledge of the silviculture industry from working as a planter, crew boss, tree deliverer and supervisor.  Based out of our Edmonton office, Judi will be coordinating our Alberta operations.  Please contact her if you are looking for work in Alberta, if you have questions about the projects we have available, or if you have any comments.  Judi can be contacted at judi_tetro@brinkman.ca or 780-409-9448 (during office hours).