Scarred Trees Found in Forest Turn Out to Be Traces of Historic Resin Tapping

A woman has posted photos on the social network Facebook of trees she came across in a forest, their trunks covered along almost their entire length in what looks like a perfect needle-like pattern. She asked what they were, adding that it was not a single tree but dozens. The post drew many commenters who tried to explain the unusual appearance.

A simple explanation

Most commenters pointed out that the marks are left over from pine resin tapping. The method was once used to obtain resin from trees for industrial purposes.

According to the commenters, special cuts were made in the trunks so that the resin flowed into attached containers or funnels. It was then collected and taken for processing. The resin was used to make turpentine and other products, including in the chemical industry, pharmaceuticals, perfumery and electrical engineering.

Tapping was usually carried out in older pine stands, often about 10–15 years before the trees were felled. Some people recalled that their parents or grandparents had worked at it, while others helped collect resin themselves as children.

Where such trees can be found

Several commenters said such trees can still be found in Latvian forests, including around Vangaži, Sigulda, Tukums and Mazsalaca. Some noted that resin tapping declined significantly after the devastating storms of 1967 and 1969, which destroyed many of the pine stands used for it.

The comments also included jokes and unusual guesses: some linked the trees to rituals, sacrifice or mystical places, while others joked about aliens. Most, however, agreed that the marks on the trunks are evidence of once widespread resin extraction.