climber's $550/ day. CA wildfire tree salvage, I think.

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Ya. But, for the young, single guys who can not drink up their profits, the work load and risk sounds relatively low, and weather good. Sharing a two bed hotel room with someone would make that per diem go farther. Finding a monthly rental, maybe airbnb, would help, and give a kitchen, possibly.

Someone can check for details about how many days in a row before a break.
 
One of my guys just went down there. He's leading a 5 man crew, 2 climber, 2 groundies and a faller. Sounds like the faller thinks he knows everything but may know nothing...
 
I'd love some legit reports of what the whole situation is like.
 
Sounds like $3850 a week taxable and $980 a week per diem ( which is untaxed, but if the irs wants to push it, you need receipts for). Sounds like damn good money if you have no other obligations. Closer to home and I'd be all over it. Going to the left coast is a bit to far for me. for a single guy this is a great opportunity to make some bank
 
I'd love to go just for the chance to do a lot of felling. Can't all be climbing...whole tree felling without valuable targets sounds like a blast for awhile.
 
Im in northern alberta doing fall and burn for pine beetle control and its really good money. or can be, paid by the tree so if trees are good size and the ground is easy walking a faller and packer team can bring 1500 a day easy. best day I had last year was 40 trees at 95 a tree.
 
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For control or oil exploration lines? I know a fellow who's done a bunch of right of way stuff for oil exploration and it was good money but maybe not quit that good. What's the packers take?
 
for control, im the packer on our team and i get 20 a tree, boss pays hotel and transport and all his equipment, like snowmobile and saws. but we are subs so we get a better pay per tree then an employee would get
 
Cool. Packed, doesn't sound easy. Hard work? How do you pack, I assume the tree, to where? And for what purpose? Burning?

Still sounds like some good money.
 
ya its moving firewood sized rounds, any wear from 15 cm DBH to as high as 50cm DBH, but those are rare thank god :) into the nearest safe spot to burn it. killing the beetles that are living in the bark. all day, but only for 2-3 months of the year. if i wanted to live poor i could make it until next season and only have to take on a little extra work. or buy lots of nice work toys... tools i mean tools :/:
 
treebilly said:
From what I read on it, it's legit. I mean the checks are good. Not sure of the work though
Click to expand...

Money sounds good if you're a W2ed employee.
For a 1099ed contractor, a lot of tax bs to sort what your real money would be. Wonder how Cali taxes out of state workers and income?

If anyone has a good knowledge of the operation, please pm me some tax details on this gig.
 
I went to the Valley Fire in September and visited a crew of 42 arborists and timber fallers working to clean up just a fraction of the mess there. It's huge and there's going to be a lot of work there in the next few years to come. For the young guys though.

The pay rate stated above is less than half of what the crews were getting when I was there. In disaster events you got to be there first to get the big bucks. Thereafter the rates go down so much it doesn't pay well enough to come from out of town on just an individual contract. Setting up your own gig and doing the hiring is another thing.
 
Dang, Jerry...that is cool that you visited those fellows. They had to be stoked to have you show up. Were you interacting in an official capacity or were just personally interested and wanted to check it out?

I hope they realized who they had with them when you were there.
 
My buddy just moved one of his yarders down there. Said it's a mad house of Arborists running around there.
 
Crazy enough around here with the beetle kill. Plus our smaller fires by comparison. Bunches of crews running about making a disaster out of a disaster. No where to put the logs. Taking advantage of the situation and not disposing or chipping of the brush. Crazy stuff.
Drove over to the logging camp we were at last year and scoped it out. Was supposed to set up camp and start mistletoe removal to preserve the black oaks on the 40 acres we were on. Weather was not allowing it. So we put it off. Can't hardly get in the roads due to all the large kit traffic. All mucked up and rutted with standing water.
Like Gerry said. Young man's game chasing this shat. I am just dealing with private land myself. Plenty of money there.
Mutually fired one Saturday. He had some things to say ... I had to say please dont text or call me any more. Don't need it. Scheduled out to May and scheduling that.
 
pantheraba said:
Dang, Jerry...that is cool that you visited those fellows. They had to be stoked to have you show up. Were you interacting in an official capacity or were just personally interested and wanted to check it out?

I hope they realized who they had with them when you were there.
Click to expand...

Gary, a friend from Rhode Island was managing some of the crews on the burn. That was Brian Noyes. He's a close friend of Mark Chisholm, and helps him out at many of the trade shows and training seminars. That's how I met Brian. Young, married with children he runs a private tree business in RI.

Anyway, Brian got a contract with the local utility (PG&E) to clear fire-kill along the powerlines. Much of which was destroyed during the fire. The poles burned up. Everything burned up. Even the road culverts.

When things got working smooth Brian called to tell me that he was on the job, and that I should come over and check it out,and also, bring some books and videos for the crews. I spent a few days over there, and sold a lot of books and videos to boot.

The Valley Fire was the 3rd largest in Cali, in the number of structures destroyed, about 3,000. I was in the area last year just months before the fire. 25 square miles of contiguous forest without any breaks or openings. At that time I told Terri, "If a fire ever got started here there would be nothing stopping it." and it came to be. It looks like the moon now. So many dreams lost. Sad.
 
Yes, Gary...those young guys knew exactly who Jerry is and they were excited to meet him, and showed him utmost respect! It has always impressed me at the many trade shows and gatherings we attend how these young guys react towards Jerry. Their respect is overwhelming! Most of them start by saying, "I just want to shake your hand and Thank You for all I've learned from you through your books and videos!" It's so cool. Jerry takes the time to talk with each and every one of them and I think it's a win/win for both sides.
 
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