Minimizing MSI's for Tree Planters

The Western Forestry Contractors' Association (WFCA), in conjunction with Total Physio (a company based out of Houston, BC), has put together some resources to assist tree planters with Musculo-Skeletal Injuries (MSI's).

Note: A new fifth video has been added to this post on February 16th, 2019.

The information, which is shared on this page, originally came from the Total Physio website.  These resources may be freely shared among the Canadian tree planting community, thanks to permission from the WFCA.

To make things simple, I'm presenting five specific videos here.  The Total Physio website also contains a significantly more handouts, taping guides, and posters.  Although you can view or download those resources in low resolution on the Total Physio website, I've obtained full-resolution versions from the WFCA, and I've put them into a Dropbox folder where anyone (even if you don't have a Dropbox account) can easily view and download them.

To find them on the Dropbox folder, start by going to this link: www.replant.ca/dropbox

That link takes you to my public Dropbox folder (which was originally set up for my DJ'ing account).  From there, go into the "Canadian Reforestation" folder, and then go into the "WFCA" folder.  In there, you'll see all five of the posters, both of the taping guides, and all six of the handouts (all as high-resolution versions).

My coastal crew has been using the "Self Taping Instructions for Shovel Side Tendonitis" since the start of our spring 2018 season, and the results have been amazing.  People who have regularly suffered from early-season tendo for the past several years have been trouble-free this year.  It really seems to work.  I strongly encourage planters to pay attention to this preventative measure.

The Videos

Video Links en Francais:

La Prevention Des Malaises Au Bas Du Dos Pour Les Planteurs D'Arbre
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZThz3C3twg

La Prevention De La Tendinite Pour Les Planteurs D'Arbre
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-1skVcdn7A

La Prevention Des Blessures Du Cou Et Du Haut Dos Pour Les Planteurs D'Arbre
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChWCSAFSK68

 

Posters

Here are the low-resolution posters that Total Physio has provided, for reference.  Again, if you're going to print them, you should definitely grab the high-resolution copies from my Dropbox account, as described above.

Taping Guides

High resolution versions can be found in the Dropbox folder.

Handouts

High resolution versions can be found in the Dropbox folder.

For more information about tree planting and reforestation in Canada, download a free copy of "Step By Step, A Tree Planter's Handbook" from this link:

www.replant.ca/digitaldownloads

 

 

Watch Out For Moose!

In many parts of Canada, large animals on the roads are a significant danger at night. If I'm not on a full divided highway, I rarely drive much above 80 km/h at night, and often slower than that, much to the annoyance of my passengers. Although it is kind of slow and painful, it occasionally pays off, like the other night.

On Thursday evening, I was driving a few kilometers away from my property in Port Elgin, and saw a moose on the highway. I swerved to the left, and missed it by about a foot. It's a good thing I swerved left, because if I had gone to the right, I would have hit a second moose behind the first that I didn't see initially. Or maybe even worse, I wouldn't have made it past the first one and hit TWO moose at the same time. This is exactly why I drive a lot slower at night.



(Click on the photos to see them in higher resolution).

I find that moose are harder to see than deer. For one, their coats are darker, so they don't stand out as much. Also, deer are skittish and usually turn to face an oncoming vehicle, so motorists often see the reflections from their eyes. However, a moose is usually either stupid or indifferent, or too high off the road surface for drivers in low cars, so you never see their eyes.

Hitting a moose isn't anything like hitting a deer. Hundreds of thousands of Canadians have hit deer. It's the kind of thing that nearly every rural driver expects could happen at least once in their life. But all that a deer usually does is trash your car. I don't mean to downplay this type of accident, because hitting a deer is still very dangerous. Unfortunately, more than a dozen people die every year in Canada because of collisions with deer. I looked up the stats for deer accidents and the numbers in the United States are stunning: there are an average of a MILLION AND A HALF collisions per YEAR between deer and vehicles. That translates to about 150 deaths, which means that 0.1% of collisions result in fatalities. It seems like a low percentage, but that's still far too many. But your chances of getting killed when hitting a moose (or elk or caribou) are a LOT higher. A deer might weigh up to 200 pounds. A moose is usually north of a thousand pounds. Check out the photos at this link:

http://www.snopes.com/photos/accident/moose.asp


Recently, our part of the province saw a very high profile moose accident just outside of Moncton, where a young couple died, leaving behind a 2-year old child:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2010/10/07/nb-neguac-funeral-rousselles.html


Here are a few tips from a BC website:

- Moose eyes do reflect the light from headlights, but often the moose's eyes are too high above the beam to catch the light. A grown moose often stands taller than a car.

- Moose are a hazard in summer (as well as in winter). They crave salt and often get it from the side of the road.

- Long straight stretches of road are still hazardous. Drivers tend to speed and thus cannot react in time if a moose or other animal does appear.

- Deer are herding animals. Just because you miss one does not mean you are clear of them.

- There are no studies proving conclusively that deer whistles work. It is better to be wildlife aware when driving, and not to rely on the whistle.


Anyway, next time you're driving at night and see a "wildlife on highway" sign, remember that you're going to get to your destination a lot FASTER if you don't run into an animal. Driving slowly isn't a bad idea.