Maybe this is a personal pet peave but what is it with the ignorance of some people pounding nails into trees and random axe scars all over live trees.

If you can’t figure out how to hang something without a nail stay on your own land. And hacking up live trees for a hobby in a public resource should be cause to get poleaxed. There are too many resources available to educate yourself to do things the right way for this behavior.

Rant over, but I hate seeing this incredible place vandalized.

That's a pet peeve that most of us share. The axes are the worst. I wish they would just ban them. However, I think most of the nails are there from days gone bye. They used to do that quite often, I've never seen a nail in a tree up there that didn't look like it had been there since the '60s. But I'm sure there's also knuckleheads that are doing that as well. Got worse during COVID, hopefully those people have found other things to do..

wxce1260: "I've never seen a nail in a tree up there that didn't look like it had been there since the '60s. "

I agree. I believe that most, if not all, of the nails I've encountered are from the logging days before the "wilderness" designations. Although, generally speaking, the axe scars are usually more recent.

There are few things that make me more furious than seeing trees hacked up by some idiot with a hatchet or axe. Anyone caught doing that should be banned in my opinion. Of course it would be almost impossible for the authorities to actually catch them in the act. I don't understand how anyone can think that's remotely acceptable behavior on any public land.

TuscaroraBorealis: "

wxce1260: "I've never seen a nail in a tree up there that didn't look like it had been there since the '60s. "

I agree. I believe that most, if not all, of the nails I've encountered are from the logging days before the "wilderness" designations. Although, generally speaking, the axe scars are usually more recent."

I disagree, politely and graciously, and believe most nails are recent vintage. Loggers didn't spend time at campsites and likely wouldn't have nailed trees. Any nail in a tree from 60 years ago would be ingrown and not visible.

Many of the nails we found were very recent. There was one brand new 8” spike, still really shiny. We were able to pull most of them.

mags459: "Many of the nails we found were very recent. There was one brand new 8” spike, still really shiny. We were able to pull most of them. "

Same for us. And I usually find them on motorboat lakes.

bobbernumber3: "

TuscaroraBorealis: "

wxce1260: "I've never seen a nail in a tree up there that didn't look like it had been there since the '60s. "

I agree. I believe that most, if not all, of the nails I've encountered are from the logging days before the "wilderness" designations. Although, generally speaking, the axe scars are usually more recent."

I disagree, politely and graciously, and believe most nails are recent vintage. Loggers didn't spend time at campsites and likely wouldn't have nailed trees. Any nail in a tree from 60 years ago would be ingrown and not visible."

Appreciate your polite response. And, hope mine is received similarly?

But, just to clarify...was just relating MY experiences (as it appears wxce1260 was too?) and never mentioned that they necessarily came from loggers or, that its the only/majority experience. So, not really a thing to be disagreed/agreed - those were/are still our experiences. :)

TuscaroraBorealis: "

bobbernumber3: "

TuscaroraBorealis: "

wxce1260: "I've never seen a nail in a tree up there that didn't look like it had been there since the '60s. "

I agree. I believe that most, if not all, of the nails I've encountered are from the logging days before the "wilderness" designations. Although, generally speaking, the axe scars are usually more recent."

I disagree, politely and graciously, and believe most nails are recent vintage. Loggers didn't spend time at campsites and likely wouldn't have nailed trees. Any nail in a tree from 60 years ago would be ingrown and not visible."

Appreciate your polite response. And, hope mine is received similarly?


But, just to clarify...was just relating MY experiences (as it appears wxce1260 was too?) and never mentioned that they necessarily came from loggers or, that its the only/majority experience. So, not really a thing to be disagreed/agreed - those were/are still our experiences. :)"

+1 TB

I found a really cool logging era nail about 8" long and the diameter of a pencil and bent into a nice hook shape. It was in a sunken timber near shore. I fished it out with the intent of enhancing my canoe room. Good intentions, but the nail is still kicking around. Wonder if I should have left it as it could have been classed as an "artifact"?

Probably better for the tree just to leave them in place. Mose of the ones I find show a decent patina of age. Trip mainly in Quetico and tend to find them on camps that have been used for years. I was bothered by them in the past- now I think of them as "Native American Nails" and find them ideally suited for hanging water containers.

I have never put a nail in a tree in BWCA or Quetico, but I have hung things many times, on nails put there by others.

I’ve packed for a lot of canoe trips. Not once have I ever thought “don’t forget the nails.”

So I wonder how someone even finds themselves up there with a few extra nails to use in their pack.

Banksiana: "Probably better for the tree just to leave them in place. Mose of the ones I find show a decent patina of age. Trip mainly in Quetico and tend to find them on camps that have been used for years. I was bothered by them in the past- now I think of them as "Native American Nails" and find them ideally suited for hanging water containers."

Yup....most nice sites in Q have at least one very handy nail for the water bag. Most have a camo rusty brown color so they don't bug me. I wouldn't pound one in myself but I use whats there and chill. Actually they are less bothersome then the head high sawed off branch used for same purpose.

This used to bug me to craziness. It would happen at the family cabin by a certain BIL that wanted Christmas lights up every time he came there. Then my internet wandering daughter did her favorite dad fact checking. According to what she found, they don’t really hurt the trees unless they’re copper. So lightened up on it. Life’s too short to get angry over the small stuff.
Now the axe as and saw damage is another thing! Maybe tie the offender to a (dead) tree and practice for my circus axe throwing act practice .
But nails? Meh ??

It has always bugged me to see nails sticking out of trees up there. It won’t kill the tree, the tree will just grow around it. Still no excuse for this.

Forgive my ignorance...wouldn't a nail in a tree typically be from a hammocker who uses it to prevent his straps from sliding down the tree?

Not trying to point fingers, but thought that would be the most common offender, yet hadn't seen it mentioned in this thread yet as an explanation. Maybe I'm wrong?

mags459: "Maybe this is a personal pet peave but what is it with the ignorance of some people pounding nails into trees and random axe scars all over live trees.

If you can’t figure out how to hang something without a nail stay on your own land. And hacking up live trees for a hobby in a public resource should be cause to get poleaxed. There are too many resources available to educate yourself to do things the right way for this behavior.

Rant over, but I hate seeing this incredible place vandalized. "

I rarely see nails... they might be more common on the entry point lakes though. My pet peeve is when they take all the limbs off trees as far as the eye can see through the woods.

treehorn: "Forgive my ignorance...wouldn't a nail in a tree typically be from a hammocker who uses it to prevent his straps from sliding down the tree?


Not trying to point fingers, but thought that would be the most common offender, yet hadn't seen it mentioned in this thread yet as an explanation. Maybe I'm wrong?"

I don't think any self respecting hammock camper would use nails for that purpose. Contemporary hammock suspensions have no need for nails, in fact I would avoid hanging near a nail in case it caused friction that damaged my tree straps.

That's not to say that casual hammock users may not sometimes use nails. However, I expect that if you read the BWCA Hanging forum you will find that nails are not a normal part of hammock camping gear.

Long time hammock camper. That does not happen, or where the nails located.

treehorn: "Forgive my ignorance...wouldn't a nail in a tree typically be from a hammocker who uses it to prevent his straps from sliding down the tree?


Not trying to point fingers, but thought that would be the most common offender, yet hadn't seen it mentioned in this thread yet as an explanation. Maybe I'm wrong?"

Yeah maybe you are. I have never heard of using a nail for that. I’ve been sleeping in hammocks for 50 years without ever doing that or seeing it done. Once the rope or strap is tightened up, it don’t move.

treehorn: "Forgive my ignorance...wouldn't a nail in a tree typically be from a hammocker who uses it to prevent his straps from sliding down the tree?


Not trying to point fingers, but thought that would be the most common offender, yet hadn't seen it mentioned in this thread yet as an explanation. Maybe I'm wrong?"

I really don’t think it’s from hammock use. It would ruin the straps. Plus, the ones I’ve seen are above head level by quite some margin.

The wilderness rangers of the Superior NF pull out many nails at campsites, that is most likely why many are seeing older nails and spikes that the trees have grown into trees and not new ones. It is really hard to pull out old ones with tools that are not designed for that purpose.

treehorn: "Forgive my ignorance...wouldn't a nail in a tree typically be from a hammocker who uses it to prevent his straps from sliding down the tree?


Not trying to point fingers, but thought that would be the most common offender, yet hadn't seen it mentioned in this thread yet as an explanation. Maybe I'm wrong?"

You are definitely wrong in at least the vast majority of cases, if not all. I've never heard of any self-respecting hammocker doing that. Like other people pointed out, it would totally unnecessary and actually counterproductive.

treehorn: "Forgive my ignorance...wouldn't a nail in a tree typically be from a hammocker who uses it to prevent his straps from sliding down the tree?


Not trying to point fingers, but thought that would be the most common offender, yet hadn't seen it mentioned in this thread yet as an explanation. Maybe I'm wrong?"

Hammocks do not need nails to keep the straps from sliding.

I have never driven nails in trees but I will use existing ones to hang my pack or water bag.

Most trees up there grow very slowly in diameter. There isn’t great soil or nutrients. I am not sure how long it would take for a nail to be covered by a tree but it’s going to be a very, very long time. Prior to the creation of the BWCAW in 1978 putting a nail in tree was a common accepted practice for camping…I am sure this continued out of habit for awhile.

Most nails I’ve seen are very old, but I’ve seen a few that looked newer too. You’d need to be pretty ignorant/dumb to use this long gone practice now a days…I guess I don’t get mad…I feel sorry for the poor bastards that still feel the need to do this. I bet a lot of things in life don’t go well for them due to their lack of intelligence.

T

timatkn: "…I feel sorry for the poor bastards that still feel the need to do this. I bet a lot of things in life don’t go well for them due to their lack of intelligence."

Yeah. I bet they had deprived childhoods and were neglected by their parents. Probably messed with drugs and had run-ins with the law and were trouble at school!

bobbernumber3: "

timatkn: "…I feel sorry for the poor bastards that still feel the need to do this. I bet a lot of things in life don’t go well for them due to their lack of intelligence."

Yeah. I bet they had deprived childhoods and were neglected by their parents. Probably messed with drugs and had run-ins with the law and were trouble at school!"

Lmao. Seriously, who wants to portage a tub of nails?!

Well I see I struck a nerve among the hammock crowd!

I do know for a fact my cousin told me that's what he and his boy scout buds would do with their hammocks if the tree didn't have a branch to tie their strap above, to keep it from sliding down. So the instances of hammockers using nails is not zero.

It sounds very uncommon though, I will certainly take your word on that.

Personally, I've never noticed any nails sticking out of any trees in any campsite up there...so it's kind of a non-issue in my experience. The ones people are talking about seem to be relics of days gone by, which I always get a bit of a kick out of, as things like this bump my thoughts and visions to the old days and other people who used these spaces in different ways than myself.

treehorn: "Forgive my ignorance...wouldn't a nail in a tree typically be from a hammocker who uses it to prevent his straps from sliding down the tree?


Not trying to point fingers, but thought that would be the most common offender, yet hadn't seen it mentioned in this thread yet as an explanation. Maybe I'm wrong?"

Hammock people use tree straps that will not slide. Also, hammock campers are typically minimalists. They don't build shelves and have no need for clothes lines

I used to run across nails regularly in the 80s. It was almost like nails came along on every trip, pounded into the tree with the other side of the hatchet. I never did it, but I appear to be the outlier. I haven't seen many nails since then, to be honest, and I never would have thought of it had this thread not been posted.

Mike

Lawnchair107: "

bobbernumber3: "

timatkn: "…I feel sorry for the poor bastards that still feel the need to do this. I bet a lot of things in life don’t go well for them due to their lack of intelligence."

Yeah. I bet they had deprived childhoods and were neglected by their parents. Probably messed with drugs and had run-ins with the law and were trouble at school!"

Lmao. Seriously, who wants to portage a tub of nails?!"

yea you guys get it…LOL

I just read this whole thread.
I want that 5 minutes of my life back
;)

The problem with nails in the trees is not that it hurts the trees; the damage to the tree is infinitesimal. The problem comes about when the tree is cut down. A nail will damage an axe or a saw when being felled.

The nails become even more worrisome when the tree is run through any power milling machines. I worked in a saw room for a while for Menards truss plant. At some point, a sawyer fed a board into the saw that had a nail, or some other foreign object, embedded in it. When one of the blades hit that object several teeth were sheared off with enough force to perforate the steel siding of the building.

We carry a 8 inch section of broken hacksaw blade in our repair kit.

As stated by others, hammock straps NEVER slide down. And I do mean NEVER. And it certainly is not necessary to have a branch under the strap, lol. Cannot believe anyone would actually do that! Maybe some idiot trying to use a rope to hang with, which will also damage a tree.

That plus dozens of fish carcasses and dumped food, bait near camp. Some ppl have dogs and they find this stuff pretty quickly.

Have to agree with others on the hatchet and axes. It is more common then not for our groups to find camp sites where someone has chopped down limbs to make tripod chairs, shelves, and many other things. If you follow LNT there is simply no need for axes or hatchets in the BWCA. Using fallen limbs or branches, any good saw will work better. The side note to this is there are far more serious injuries from hatchets and axes then any other item.