I read in the paper today about a spruce killer…

Yes, you read it right, someone is mass killing spruces here in Sweden. So far more then 2000 spruces has been attacked in the national park in Delsjö, outside Gothenburg.

Part of the headline for the article was “It could be someone that hates spruces” , and well sure it could be someone with a grudge against them. But how likely is that?

Of course this is a rather serious matter as well as a weird news event. Since it is done in a national park there’s a risk that someone could be out walking there and become injured from a falling, half dead, tree, especially if there’s heavy winds.

The damage done to the trees indicate that a “wire saw” could be a possible weapon, there’s a cut made around the stem, through the bark. This cuts of the nourishment for the tree, killing them slowly.

Speculations of why include that someone with a misled sense of what is good for the nature, as a certain level of dead wood in the forest is good for the biological multitude. But in this case it has gone over the top and out of control.

It was first discovered by the park attendants two years ago, but it is believed to have started earlier. To keep the public safe they’ve had to take damaged trees down before they die and fall by them self.

EDIT: seem I mixed up in translation it is spruces not pines that are getting killed, still weird though