The time of waiting for an answer is confusing and difficult; I know I feel this way and I can empathize you do too. I can say for certainty Summit is fully doing everything we can to go to work safely. However, right now I want to focus on something different: Mental health.
Not only do we need to wash your hands and self-quarantine, but we also to take care of our mental state. In this time of self-isolation and social distancing that sense of community that we get from planting can feel very distant. Leaving us feeling lonely and confused.
We are in the middle of it and as hard as we are working to allow us to go to work safely, it is still an unknown. We will work if it is safe. All this stress and anxiety from the unknown can be very draining emotionally. I know for myself I needed to take a night off from updates to take care of myself and in turn take care us all and this unknown.
It is important that we keep moving forward and taking this one-day at a time. We are all looking forward to a summer working our butts off with people who understand and appreciate our uniqueness and our journey. We are a tribe. Although we may not all be in the same place right now we are all in this together.
Breathe deep and take care of your self.
If you need to reach out feel free to call.
Tim Tchida
250-847-1114

Again today I have witnessed the phenomenal sense of caring for each other in the world of contractors. All the feelings of uncertainty and competition have vanished. We hey to see each other as incredibly, creative and diligent and principled, caring people. It is amazing to experience how we are all beginning to see each other as familiar, even if we have only spoke for the first time. Finding solutions is planting us together. We all know what the other has endured to be a tree planting contractor, it was not a easy journey. It took a serious of initiations, all of which included suffering and reward. We have learned how to accomplish the impossible with very little and now we have come together and developed a COVID strategic plan and we are in the process of sharing a Charter that will guide us through this together. We are talking and sharing and we can truly feel that care of the other. Thank you for today. 🌲🙏🌲

There is truly an amazing feeling of solidarity between all the contractors creatively working together on solutions to deal with this WTF COVID PIECE OF SHIT VIRUS THING!!!
In addressing this all the contractors are so fully aligned. We absolutely know with such certainty that we have an obligation to figure this out and do it properly.
I would especially like to thank Dave Wilson, from Celtic for inspiring us through his care and concern and leadership, and for kicking my ass into action. Thank you to Marc Hobday from Apex for all the incredible creative detailed work and patience and thoughtful and empathetic leadership. Thank you to both of you for all the work towards the Strategic Action plan and the incredible work into the Strategic action plan budget. In addition, I would like to thank Nathan Cullen for coming on board the team with such incredible insight and focus. He has consolidated our ideas and has been able to assimilate some big ideas into a credible and incredible Strategic Plan. This would not have been possible without him on this team. And it certainly not possible without my partners; OMG, their endless platience and detail on everything. I would especially like to thank both Jason Krueger and Mat Stachura for the endless hours of grinding, tireless work with the budget. It is phenomenal watching what these men can create and accomplish.
Today we presented the Strategic action plan. Thank you to Bruce Blackwell, John Betts(Executive director of the WFCA) and Timo Scheiber from Brinkman Resources. In addition I would like to thank all the contractors on the Working Group for participating with the compiling and reviewing the detailed information in the budget review, the strategizing, and endless hours of dialogue on how to address these issue. Thank you to: Jeff Lutes and Mark Courtney at Blue Collar, and Dean Marshall and Crawford Young at Spectrum Resource Group, Carlos Galvani and A+G, Garth Hadley at Coast range, Rick Ness and Ryan Zapisocki AKA Zap at Windfirm, Chris Howard at Whanaugirestry, Jim Logan at Folklore, Lasse Lutick at Hybrid17, Brett Henkel at Little Smokey, Tony Harris at Zanzibar, Bryn Kilb at Dynamic, Johnathan Clark AKA (Scooter) and William Sheepwash at Next Generation and an absolute outstanding thank you to Jordan Tesluk for countless hours of sharing, reaching out, connecting and caring for us as contractors together with the entire planting community.
This has been such a strong group for a Herculean task. We are not done yet!!! We have just completed step one. But know that we are in such strong alliance because we know in the deepest way that every planter is depending on us to be truely cared for and held in a safe place. We would like to also thank the input and support and direction of all the foresters and managers in the companies we work with. I feel very very Grateful. 🌲🙏🌲
WE ARE TREE PLANTERS!🌲🌎🌲

COVID-19 Update April 2, 2020
I love tree planting
and
COVID SUCKS!!!

Ok, It is 11:59.
I am getting ready for a 7:30 meeting with licensees. These are our clients.... There are still a lot of questions and creative solution. Today was spent entirely on working with numerous other contractors on solutions of how to support the licensees and find government support so we can move forward into 2020 prepared and safe.
At 11am tomorrow a large group of contractors are meeting to review the cost analysis for different scenarios moving forward. Tomorrow is a big day. I want to thank everyone that participated today.... Multiple creative and talented brains. Tomorrow I will share more.....This is such a huge amazing creative group effort. We must get this right.
We are looking at the reality of what is happening in our world and we all want to make sure that we are fully asking the questions of how we do this properly. How we do this together, how do we do this planning for complications that may happen and being fully prepared.
It is really wonderful to be working with so many other contractors and sharing all our ideas. We are really a strong team and we are so grateful for the licensees we work with. They are going through extreme times also. We really are all in this together!
I think tomorrow I will ask a foreman to do a daily update, in addition to my report. Fran, you are up.
Good night....
Tim

Hello Summit Planters,Today was another long day of conference calls with members of the industry and WFCA to discuss in more detail the Covid-19 response plan.
We are working down to the smallest details. These details are exposing cost issues and we have hired a strategic strategist on how to best implement all the new standards and complexities.
Thanks to Camilla’s document and each of your crew meetings we are starting to work out the details of what planters are most concerned about.
As a silly yet equally important examples Riley’s crew’s most pressing concern is how to obtain liquor in camp for nights off. As company we are working this out and will have a process in place. What this looks like, not sure.... perhaps we have a designated bartender.... don't hold me to this...yet.
Management, please add to Camellias list.....
Planters, please contact your crew boss to add to the list of questions. Every question is important and needs addressing.
In order to fulfill these expectations and requirements as an industry are looking for additional funding from the government. These questions are being asked.
Stay safe and stand by.

I wrote this in response to a question by Jean-Michel Hinse, “what can we do”?
I wanted to share this here. 🌲🌎🙏
Through all this, stay in optimism and out of fear.... know that this will pass.
There are a number of directions and potential paths forward that we need to prepare for.
The first is that we are prepared and we mobilize within the window of the industry stated 2 week delay.
The second is that the industry will need a longer delay so we can see be on the downside of the C19 curve.
The third is that this outbreak worsens and we are morally and ethically and legally required to stay home.
In all cases, take care of yourself by not getting sick. Do isolate so that you are in the best state possible, so that you are prepared to mobilize when the opportunity safely presents. Take care of everyone around you by taking care of your own isolation and health. Isolate with people you love and that love you.
Use this time to imagine what you want to manifest from an amazing season. Do what the C19 is forcing us to do.... Slow down and reflect on what is important. When we all do this and it is time to come back together, then our perspectives on what is important next can be shared with others. This time of isolation is forcing us to reflect on our deepest principles.
When we are healthy, and when we eventually do come back together, in the community of tree planting, we then can share these ideas and images and values for what is important and next in our time ..... and we also plant trees.
In short, isolate from the outside world, spend more time in the inside world, take care of yourself, and those around you, and get ready. Through all this, stay in optimism and out of fear. This will pass. 🌲🌎🙏

To All Summit Planters and Staff,
I know that each of you have questions, so I would like to invite you to ask them here and I will do my best to share what we know, what we are working on, and what we are doing to prepare in regards to each question.
I would also like to extend my phone number below to anyone that would feel better calling and talking to me directly.
Navigating through the logistics and ethics and community license and economics and safe operating procedures for C19 was not in our winter plan and our March start up list.
There is a lot to do and
WE NEED TO GET THIS RIGHT.....AND WE WILL!!!!
My commitment is to get this right.
I would like to acknowledge Jason, Mat and the team here, together with outside resources and other contractors, for working through the details, this is truly a collective endeavour.
Please reach out and call me.... or share here.
Sincerely,
Tim Tchida
250 847-1114
🌲🌎🙏🌲

COVID-19 Update March 26, 2020
Today was a big day. A group of major contractors met today and discussed the Covid-19 Response Plan. We truly want to make sure that we are in the best position to take care of all of us together. The licensees are incredibly supportive, and we are looking at these processes and these implications together.
We are looking at not only the step-changes to move to work safely, we are also looking at the issues of social license, the concerns of the communities we work in, the ethical decisions based on health authority giving us approval, and the moral authority in order to move forward safely.
There is a great deal to this and I want to ensure you that we are looking at it from all angles.
Every single one of you, as part of our management team, has been invited in because you exemplify the leadership and resonance that is truly held with the empathy of care.
Let’s reflect on how to do this properly and how to do it in relationship to each other, how to do it in relationship to the licensees that we work for, and the communities that we work in. Let’s make sure that we do this right so if we invite youth away from their homes to plant trees, we know that they are being invited into a place that’s contained with safety and care.
This is what we been working on today.
There’s a lot yet to happen and a lot will be based on the trajectory of the virus.
Good night...🌲🌎🌲
Tim Tchida
Summit Reforestation
250-847-1114

COVID-19 Update March 25, 2020
Hello All,Here's the update for March 25, 2020. There were numerous calls regarding the options moving forwards.The conversations today were primarily around the trajectory of the COVID19 and safety. When it is safe to begin mobilization we need to ensure that the appropriate steps are in place so we can address any residual issues. This involves new camp standards. Those were released today and we are meeting tomorrow to review. It is reassuring to know that the moral, ethical, and social licence perspectives are being looked at, including legal obligations, and all standards that need to be upgraded to create a safe work environment. At the core of these discussions is "testing" or "a self reporting and monitoring" process as well as transportation issues that need to be addressed, There is some very good work on this today with the team of contractors.
Contractors and industry representatives are meeting to review the COVID-19 issue again tomorrow at 2pm.

I am very grateful that we delayed the season and have the opportunity to plan.
That is all for tonight.
Long day, good day,
Tim
Tim Tchida
250 847-1114 cell