HYDE-SMITH BACKS BILL TO MITIGATE DANGERS POSED BY TREE SPIKING
Bill Intended to Help Protect Firefighters, Loggers & Sawmill Workers from Eco-Terrorist Tree Spikes
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today announced she is cosponsoring the Tree Spiking Mitigation Act, a measure to protect firefighters, loggers, and sawmill workers against dangers posed by trees spiked by eco-terrorists.
The tree spiking involves hammering a metal or ceramic rod into tree trunks in order to prevent loggers from harvesting the timber. The issue came into focus recently in light of past actions by Tracy Stone-Manning, the nominee to be director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
“Forestry is the leading agricultural industry in Mississippi. We understand how dangerous logging and sawmills can be,” said Hyde-Smith, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
“The terrible truth is that tree spikes driven in trees decades ago remain a threat. This bill would direct the Forest Service and Interior Department to proactively reduce the threat these eco-terrorist weapons pose to firefighters and those who work in our forests,” she said.
Introduced by Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and James Risch (R-Idaho), the Tree Spiking Mitigation Act (S.2506):
- Directs the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of the Interior (working through the BLM) to detect, identify, and mitigate tree spikes on National Forests and public lands; and
- Directs these agencies to, where appropriate, update safety guidelines and safety protocols to include the awareness, detection, identification, and mitigation of tree spikes.
Read a copy of the legislation here.
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