Tree spiking is when a metal rod, nail, or other material is hammered into a tree trunk. This can happen near the base of the tree, where a logger might cut, or higher up, where it could interfere with the sawmill when processing the wood. When the spike touches the saw blade, it can damage the blade, which may cause injuries to workers nearby. The spike can also make the wood look discolored, reducing its value. This does not kill the tree but can make logging less profitable over time. Tree spiking is against the law in the United States. Some people in the logging industry call it a type of "eco-terrorism."
History
Tree spiking was first discussed in Earth First! magazine as a way to stop logging. It became a controversial method used by some environmental groups in the 1980s, after Earth First! co-founder Dave Foreman wrote about it in his book Ecodefense. In the book, he explained how to place spikes on trees and how to reduce risks to both activists and loggers, such as by placing warning signs in the area.
On May 8, 1987, George Alexander, a worker at a mill, was seriously hurt when a saw blade broke after hitting a tree spike, cutting his jaw in half. His employer, Louisiana-Pacific, offered $20,000 for information about the person who placed the spike, but no charges were filed. The spike was not placed in an old-growth forest, and the nail was likely inserted after the tree was cut, which did not match Earth First! tactics. Alexander later sued Louisiana-Pacific, claiming the saw had been weakened by previous nail strikes and that he was forced to use it or lose his job.
This accident caused Earth First! leaders to publicly oppose tree spiking. Logging supporters call it "eco-terrorism" because they believe it can harm workers, but by 1996, only this one injury linked to tree spiking had been reported.
By country
In 1998, beech trees being cut down in the Tuatapere area were found with metal spikes. Police could not identify the people who did this.
In 2000, Pat O'Dea, who was mayor of the Buller District, claimed that Native Forest Action (NFA) had spiked trees during a direct action against logging in the West Coast. NFA’s spokesperson, Dean Bagient-Mercer, denied this. In 1998, Kevin Smith from Forest and Bird said that some people involved in the NFA campaign had suggested tree spiking.
After a 1987 injury to a California mill worker named George Alexander, a law called the Anti-Tree Spiking Act was created. It became part of federal law in 1988 as an amendment to the Anti-Drug Abuse Act, introduced by Senators James A. McClure and Mark Hatfield. In 1993, John Blount and others were found guilty of spiking trees in Clearwater National Forest. Tracy Stone-Manning agreed to testify in exchange for legal protection. In 2021, President Biden nominated Tracy Stone-Manning to lead the Bureau of Land Management. Before her nomination, news reports focused on claims that she was involved in a 1989 tree-spiking plan.
In 1990, Earth First! leaders, including Judi Bari and Mike Roselle, sent a message and press release to activists in Northern California and Southern Oregon. They said tree spiking was no longer acceptable, just before the Redwood Summer campaign, which was a series of peaceful protests against logging in redwood forests.