Raymundo Morales is a reforestation foreman featured in the PBS documentary “A Thousand Pines.”
Noam Osband
Directed and produced by Sebastián Díaz Aguirre and Noam Osband, the PBS documentary “A Thousand Pines” follows a group of Mexican tree planters, who travel from Oaxaca to the United States for an eight-month season, and portrays the year-long migration and work journey of the group of laborers.
In an interview with La Voz, Díaz Aguirre and Osband commented on how they found this story and how it developed into a documentary. While pursuing his doctorate in anthropology, Osband heard about temporary workers who came to the United States every year with the mission to plant pine trees.
“I wanted to do research on migration in the United States for my thesis and I was in Arkansas. At that time I met the heads of companies who suggested that I study reforestation,” he recalled.
The company owners, predominantly white, had begun working in tree planting in the 1970s. Replanting pine trees is meant to ultimately supply the paper and lumber industry.
“I thought it was an interesting story,” Osband added.
He presented a more academic version of the documentary and after meeting Díaz Aguirre in 2017 in a group of filmmakers in Brooklyn, they embarked together on the documentation of the lives of these men, starting with how they prepare for their trip in their native Tlaxiaco. They are shown living with family during the eight months of work in the United States.
“The entire workforce behind it is made up of migrants. Although Americans started this industry, as wages went down, the only ones willing to work for the salary and conditions are migrants,” Díaz Aguirre noted.
The film demonstrates that sometimes even with a work visa, workers can end up in unfavorable or exploitative situations. Raymundo Morales leads a team of 12 sowers, and balances his work and personal life, while also showing moments of joy and happiness that make their journey worthwhile. They are all eligible for the H-2B visa, which allows employers to hire foreign temporary workers to come to the United States and perform seasonal non-agricultural work or services.
“The most important thing for us was to dignify these men. It is a love letter for them,” said Díaz Aguirre.
The documentary shows their daily routine, their family dynamics, as well as the camaraderie that arises among them when they go from one place to another and share rooms in hotels and motels throughout their journey.
Díaz Aguirre stressed that there was never any thought of generating a discourse or criticizing various topics such as immigration, the environment, capitalism or the separation of families. “We show the reality of these men who make this sacrifice of love for their families.”
After its premiere at the New York Latin Film Festival, the documentary been shown at several festivals across the country including the San Diego Latino Film Festival and Buffalo International Film Festival, where it won awards, and in Mexico.
“A Thousand Pines” airs locally at 2 p.m. April 1 on WTTW-Channel 11 and and at 3 p.m. May 3, with other showings on WTTW World and WTTW Prime. It can also be streamed on the PBS app.