5 Types Of Tags Your Conservation Program Needs

If you manage a youth conservation program, one of your largest tasks is keeping track of your organization's equipment. Lost or damaged equipment can end up costing your organization money. To keep everything in your office well-organized, you need to create a labeling system that works for your particular organization. While designing your system, you should consider ordering custom tags to make your organization process simple and clear. 

Repair Tags 

To help make your repair process more efficient, you should consider adding custom printed repair tags to your inventory. These tags can be color-coded, to make sure damaged inventory is returned to the proper crew once it is repaired. You may want to include a perforated option that allows a crew member to quickly tag a broken piece of equipment and write a description of the damages on the tear-away section. They can then take the tear-away section to your equipment manager, allowing your equipment manager to create a repair plan without missing any damaged pieces of equipment. 

Service Record Tags

Service record tags allow you to easily mark the last time that a piece of equipment has been serviced. These tags can be hung from tool storage racks for quick assessment whether tools are currently being used in the field or are at your base of operations. You may opt to add a scannable barcode to these tags to make entering a detailed service history on a laptop, smartphone, or tablet quick and easy. 

Inventory Tags

When you are running multiple crews out of a single base, it is easy to misplace your inventory. Creating custom inventory tags to attach to your storage shelves can make it easier for crew members to return items where they belong. If you select a laminated or plastic label with a blank side, crew members can leave notes with a dry-erase marker on the blank side of your inventory tag, letting you know if items are missing or if they need additional replacements. This can decrease the time your crew members spend de-rigging after an assignment and can increase the effectiveness of your office communication. 

Anti-Theft Labels 

Much of the equipment that your crew takes into the field can be expensive. From chain saws to cameras, you need to be sure that this equipment will be returned to your office at the end of an assignment. Anti-theft labels that adhere permanently to your equipment can make it difficult for people to steal your equipment when it is out of the office, and ensure that it is returned to your office if it is left behind. 

Trail Tags

For many conservation crews, time is lost when the crew leader has to stay at a specific point on a trail to explain in detail what needs to be completed. You can print out several tags of common tasks your conservation crews complete. For example, you might label tags with:

• Brushing. 
• Tread leveling.
• Retaining wall. 
• French drain. 
• etc. 

You can supply crew leaders with these tags and the crew leaders can move ahead of your crew, labeling the trail they are working on for efficient, quality repairs. These tags should be custom printed on bright, waterproof material and collected after each assignment for reuse. As your crew members become more experienced, your crew leaders may no longer need the tags, but they can be a useful planning and learning tool. 

There are several ways that custom printed tags can make your organization run more efficiently. However, it is important that you follow a plan for implementation of your new tagging system to let crew members and office staff know how to best use the tags you order. 

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