Tree spiking
Encyclopedia
Tree spiking involves hammering a metal rod, nail, or other material (commonly ceramic) into a tree
trunk to discourage logging
by attempting to devalue the commercial use of the wood, reducing the economic viability of logging in the long term, while not threatening the life of the tree. However, the presence of the spike creates a mantrap
which may injure or kill lumberjacks who attempt to cut down the tree or mill workers processing the tree.
It is believed that tree spiking originated in timber logging labor disputes in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
in the late 19th century. It came to prominence as a contentious tactic within unconventional environmentalist
circles during the 1980s, after it was advocated by Earth First!
co-founder Dave Foreman in his book Ecodefense
. In the book, he discusses how to do it and how to avoid risks to the activist and the logger.
One possible injury from tree spiking occurred in the United States in 1987. California mill worker George Alexander was seriously injured when the bandsaw he was operating was shattered by either an old nail or a tree spike. This led many progressive Earth First!
groups to denounce tree spiking. Other activists were led to either reject this form of sabotage entirely, or take some precautions, such as putting warning signs in the area where the trees are being spiked. Tree spiking is condemned by opponents as eco-terrorism
as they claim it is potentially dangerous to loggers or mill-workers, although only this one injury possibly resulting from tree spiking has been widely reported.
trees that were being logged in 1998 in the Tuatapere
area were spiked. Police were unable to trace those who were responsible.
Pat O'Dea, while he was the mayor for the Buller District, suggested in 2000 that Native Forest Action
(NFA) had spiked trees during a direct action campaign against native forest logging on the West Coast
. This was denied by NFA spokesperson Dean Bagient-Mercer. In 1998 Kevin Smith
from Forest and Bird
had said that tree spiking was proposed by some individuals involved in the NFA campaign.
In 1990, Earth First!
leader Judi Bari
led activists in Northern California
and Southern Oregon
to renounce tree-spiking as a tactic on the eve of Redwood Summer
, a 1990 campaign of nonviolent protests against logging of the redwood forest.
in his 1998 novel Blockade
has the protagonist, a logging company operator, ordering the spiking of trees in order to discredit the anti-logging activists.
Severed (2005 film)
: Anti-logging activists sabotage a tree by spiking it, breaking the blade on a logger’s chainsaw and cutting him. The genetically enhanced tree sap mixes with the logger’s blood, starting a chain reaction of zombie mayhem.
"Darkness Falls" (The X-Files)
: Two environmentalist "monkey wrenchers" are accused of spiking trees in a Washington state forest.
The Anarchist Cookbook
: In this film the antagonist Johnny Black plans on spiking redwood trees in an attempt to prevent logging.
The comic series Concrete, by Paul Chadwick
, dedicated a multi-part story called "Think Like a Mountain" to the subject of tree spiking.
A group of radical environmentalists engage in tree-spiking in the novel Hayduke Lives!
by Edward Abbey
.
In the young adult novel "Spirit of the Rainforest" by Eric Wilson
, young protagonist Tom Austen takes part in a protest against logging a rainforest but the protest is broken when a more radical character spikes a tree, angering non violent protesters.
In the 1991 L. A. Law episode "Do the Spike Thing", a mill worker sues a logging company and a radical environmentalist group when he is injured by a saw blade that breaks upon striking a spike.
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
trunk to discourage logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
by attempting to devalue the commercial use of the wood, reducing the economic viability of logging in the long term, while not threatening the life of the tree. However, the presence of the spike creates a mantrap
Mantrap
Mantraps are physical security devices or constructions designed to entrap a human on purpose.-Historical usage:Historically, mantraps were mechanical devices for catching poachers and trespassers. The devices have taken many forms, the most usual being like a large foothold trap, the steel springs...
which may injure or kill lumberjacks who attempt to cut down the tree or mill workers processing the tree.
It is believed that tree spiking originated in timber logging labor disputes in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the late 19th century. It came to prominence as a contentious tactic within unconventional environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
circles during the 1980s, after it was advocated by Earth First!
Earth First!
Earth First! is a radical environmental advocacy group that emerged in the Southwestern United States in 1979. It was co-founded on April 4th, 1980 by Dave Foreman, Mike Roselle, Howie Wolke, and less directly, Bart Koehler and Ron Kezar....
co-founder Dave Foreman in his book Ecodefense
Ecodefense
Ecodefense: A Field Guide To Monkeywrenching is a book edited by Dave Foreman, with a foreword by Edward Abbey.- Background :Ned Ludd Books published the first two editions, with Abbzug Press publishing a third edition...
. In the book, he discusses how to do it and how to avoid risks to the activist and the logger.
One possible injury from tree spiking occurred in the United States in 1987. California mill worker George Alexander was seriously injured when the bandsaw he was operating was shattered by either an old nail or a tree spike. This led many progressive Earth First!
Earth First!
Earth First! is a radical environmental advocacy group that emerged in the Southwestern United States in 1979. It was co-founded on April 4th, 1980 by Dave Foreman, Mike Roselle, Howie Wolke, and less directly, Bart Koehler and Ron Kezar....
groups to denounce tree spiking. Other activists were led to either reject this form of sabotage entirely, or take some precautions, such as putting warning signs in the area where the trees are being spiked. Tree spiking is condemned by opponents as eco-terrorism
Eco-terrorism
Eco-terrorism usually refers to acts of violence or sabotage committed in support of ecological, environmental, or animal rights causes against persons or their property....
as they claim it is potentially dangerous to loggers or mill-workers, although only this one injury possibly resulting from tree spiking has been widely reported.
New Zealand
BeechBeech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
trees that were being logged in 1998 in the Tuatapere
Tuatapere
Tuatapere is a small rural town in Southland, New Zealand . It is located eight kilometres from the southern coast. The Waiau River flows through the town before reaching Te Waewae Bay, where it has its outflow into Foveaux Strait...
area were spiked. Police were unable to trace those who were responsible.
Pat O'Dea, while he was the mayor for the Buller District, suggested in 2000 that Native Forest Action
Native Forest Action
Native Forest Action was set up protect the publicly owned native forests of the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand from logging....
(NFA) had spiked trees during a direct action campaign against native forest logging on the West Coast
West Coast, New Zealand
The West Coast is one of the administrative regions of New Zealand, located on the west coast of the South Island, and is one of the more remote and most sparsely populated areas of the country. It is made up of three districts: Buller, Grey and Westland...
. This was denied by NFA spokesperson Dean Bagient-Mercer. In 1998 Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith (conservationist)
Kevin Smith was a New Zealand conservationist.Smith was born in Owhango, a small town in the King Country. He was active in the area of forest conservation. In 1985 Smith was employed by Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand as a West Coast conservation officer before being...
from Forest and Bird
Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand
The Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand Inc. is an environmental organisation specialising in conservation of indigenous plant and animal life in and around New Zealand....
had said that tree spiking was proposed by some individuals involved in the NFA campaign.
United States
Following the 1987 injury of California mill worker George Alexander, tree spiking was declared a federal felony in the United States in 1988. (18 U.S. Code 1864).In 1990, Earth First!
Earth First!
Earth First! is a radical environmental advocacy group that emerged in the Southwestern United States in 1979. It was co-founded on April 4th, 1980 by Dave Foreman, Mike Roselle, Howie Wolke, and less directly, Bart Koehler and Ron Kezar....
leader Judi Bari
Judi Bari
Judi Bari was an American environmentalist and labor leader, a feminist, and the principal organizer of Earth First! campaigns against logging in the ancient redwood forests of Northern California in the 1980s and '90...
led activists in Northern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Southern Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
to renounce tree-spiking as a tactic on the eve of Redwood Summer
Redwood Summer
Organized in 1990, Redwood Summer was a movement of environmental activism aimed at protecting old-growth Redwood trees from logging by northern California timber companies...
, a 1990 campaign of nonviolent protests against logging of the redwood forest.
Tree spiking in fiction
Derek HansenDerek Hansen
Derek Hansen is a novelist and short story writer.He was born in England, raised in New Zealand and now lives in Sydney, Australia. He was formerly in advertising, but walked away at the peak of his career, to follow his dream to write novels. Derek Hansen's works have been published in the USA,...
in his 1998 novel Blockade
Blockade (novel)
-Plot summary:The protagonist is Miklos Bollok, a logging company owner who uses corrupt politicians to clear-fell the last remaining wilderness in Victoria, Australia. He is stymied by a direct action campaign by conservationists...
has the protagonist, a logging company operator, ordering the spiking of trees in order to discredit the anti-logging activists.
Severed (2005 film)
Severed
Severed: Forest of the Dead is a 2005 zombie suspense horror film directed by Carl Bessai and set in a remote logging community following an incident where a genetic experiment goes wrong.-Premise:...
: Anti-logging activists sabotage a tree by spiking it, breaking the blade on a logger’s chainsaw and cutting him. The genetically enhanced tree sap mixes with the logger’s blood, starting a chain reaction of zombie mayhem.
"Darkness Falls" (The X-Files)
Darkness Falls (The X-Files)
"Darkness Falls" is the twentieth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on April 15, 1994. "Darkness Falls" was written by series creator Chris Carter, and directed by Joe Napolitano. It featured guest appearances...
: Two environmentalist "monkey wrenchers" are accused of spiking trees in a Washington state forest.
The Anarchist Cookbook
The Anarchist Cookbook (film)
The Anarchist Cookbook is a 2002 black comedy film directed by Jordan Susman. The movie is about a young honors student-turned-anarchist, Puck , and his group of anarchist friends living peacefully in a Dallas commune until a nihilist, Johnny Black , appears with The Anarchist Cookbook and...
: In this film the antagonist Johnny Black plans on spiking redwood trees in an attempt to prevent logging.
The comic series Concrete, by Paul Chadwick
Paul Chadwick
Paul Chadwick is an American comic book creator best known for his series Concrete about a normal man trapped in a rock-hard body....
, dedicated a multi-part story called "Think Like a Mountain" to the subject of tree spiking.
A group of radical environmentalists engage in tree-spiking in the novel Hayduke Lives!
Hayduke Lives
Hayduke Lives! , written in 1989 by Edward Abbey, is the sequel to the popular book The Monkey Wrench Gang. It was published posthumously in 1990.-Plot summary:...
by Edward Abbey
Edward Abbey
Edward Paul Abbey was an American author and essayist noted for his advocacy of environmental issues, criticism of public land policies, and anarchist political views. His best-known works include the novel The Monkey Wrench Gang, which has been cited as an inspiration by radical environmental...
.
In the young adult novel "Spirit of the Rainforest" by Eric Wilson
Eric Wilson (author)
Eric Wilson is a Canadian children's author born in Ottawa, Ontario, and now living in Victoria, British Columbia. He mainly writes mysteries featuring the characters Tom and Liz Austen, which take place in various locations around Canada...
, young protagonist Tom Austen takes part in a protest against logging a rainforest but the protest is broken when a more radical character spikes a tree, angering non violent protesters.
In the 1991 L. A. Law episode "Do the Spike Thing", a mill worker sues a logging company and a radical environmentalist group when he is injured by a saw blade that breaks upon striking a spike.
External links
- The Secret History of Tree Spiking by Judi Bari
- Earth First! Memo: Tree-spiking renunciation NOTE: This page is no longer available; to learn about the current Earth First! tree protection activities, go to their Tree Sits page.