Tree Manipulation/ Wood Structures: What Is The Evidence?

[Guest WesT]

 

My favorite is a type of wood that does not exist in the vicinity jammed in to a tree crook and pointing in a direction like a sign post. 

 

 

 

I've got the "can't help it's" today.

 

 

 

lightheart, just when I thought "it couldn't be", I find this:

 

Australopithicus sediba: The Wood Eating Hominid

[WSA]

Well....The word ‘Adirondack' originated as a derogatory term given to the Algonquin tribe by neighboring Mohawk, meaning "barkeaters."

[SWWASAS]

My problem with this topic is the difficulty determining what is done by placement and what occurs naturally.        Once you determine something was done by placement then you have the problem of trying to determine if it was done by human activity or something else.       I have seen structures that were obviously done by placement.   In my research area more in the form of rock stacks and stick glyphs on stumps but in a couple of cases they were bent stick structures.     These are obviously placed and not natural.     While I have found and photographed at least a dozen, only one was done in a time and manner that I am reasonably certain (but not 100%), it was not done by humans.      A glyph (first picture) was placed on a stump after I had placed my pack on the same stump, went out into a clear cut area, then returned to the same stump to join the trail out of the area.    I periodically looked back at the stump in reference to a large root ball to keep my bearings, but the glyph was placed on the stump while I was in the position to maintain periodic visual contact.    What ever left it, did with extreme stealth, left the glyph, and retreated without me seeing it.    No humans were in the area, no cars were at the trailhead, and I never saw another human in the entire time I was in the field.       Tom Cantrell has seen the picture and his analysis is that it is a common glyph, in this case indicating that there are two BF in the area and they like me.      That may or may not be true but if it is they must have changed their idea about me because of my recent zapping encounter.    Here is the glyph.  

 

The rock stack is typical of those in the area.    Usually three rocks, sometimes stacked, sometimes not,  in one case they defined a game trail that went over a ridge line.     Could be human but for what purpose, might not be human but again for what purpose?   Tribal boundaries?   Form of art?   Who knows. 

 

The third stick and rock glyph is similar to the first except for stone placement.    Normally the rocks used are not from the immediate area.    They have been located and brought to the site.    These are not next to campgrounds or high use areas with idle humans looking for projects.    Most are in remote areas.  

 

 The final stick structure looks constructed but by who for what purpose?.    Even though it is 4 feet high it is too small and inadequate to be a shelter but it appears to block the end of a game trail where it crosses a human trail.    Humans or BF trying to discourage use of the game trail?   No way to know for sure.  

[WSA]

I think you've eliminated all reasonable possibility of human agency in these instances, SWWA, for me at least. We all have different thresholds.  Those examples might be a little harder to triage for some as they are easily within the range of the physical capabilities of humans. We can't say, and you have not said,  it would have been impossible for a human to have done those. I think the needle spikes in the other direction when you look at some of the larger tree assemblages. They are just too danged big and heavy for any human without heavy equipment to manipulate. There is always wind and weather to consider, but humans? No. Most definitely not.

 

Nice photos and thanks for sharing those. 

 

I have to also say, this kind of evidence pushes me more to the "human" origin/nature of BF than to the "ape" side of the spectrum.      

[Guest lightheart]

Wes I think they are grubbing and maybe eating some bugs.

 

Also one day I actually took off a piece of bark just to see what on earth they could be after. In addition to the bark i found that with a pine tree there is a thin sheet of aromatic slightly,oily tree material in between the thick outer bark and the dense inner tree part. Natural bug repellent.......I don't know i can only speculate but maybe.

 

And...then we have the article you found so maybe they just eat the bark as hard as it is to imagine that. They must have a cast iron stomach........all that raw meat...bark...live frogs ...Wow!

[Guest]

I found this very close to a food drop last summer. The thickness of the Oak tree at the break was about 5".  I shimmied up a pine sapling about 3-4" thick and tried to break it to match and I could not get it to break at all.

 

 

[Wheellug]

I have to agree with an earlier statement regarding Les Strouds view. 

Les showed pictures of trees that were bent by snow load.  How the base of the tree was still rooted. 
Then when he looked at possible  structures, how there was no root, but several of the logs were just jammed into the ground.  

[Guest WesT]

Stop it guys, you're starting to freak me out.

 

lightheart, that's interesting. Aromatic oily substance you say.  I wonder if it could double as a scent block?

 

 

WSA,  it sounds like the Mohawk were calling the Algonquin the modern-day derogatory equivalent of a knuckle dragger. Whether or not if that was the true intent,  it is now a confirmed fact that there was at least one hominid that ate tree bark as a part of their diet. 

 

 

 

[Guest lightheart]

Hey WesTm

It is like a very very thin sheet of aromatic oily paper. That is the best I can describe it. It is found in between the thick outer bark and the actual inner tree wood.

 

I was going out this morning but is has been raining really heavily since last night -hours and hours of rain. It just stopped but there is lots of ponding water. I will go first thing tomorrow. I really miss my forest fix today.

[NathanFooter]

 I have found tree damage and and manipulation in my main research area but nearly all of it is seemingly from bear.   

 

 

 

 

  But then every so often I find damage that is just odd or in the perfect place, laying across a path perfectly straight or crossed in opposing directions. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Even then they may be result of bear activity it is just that some where well placed or grand looking.

Edited March 30, 2014 by NathanFooter

[Guest lightheart]

That second picture looks like someone placed the brush at the opposite angle from above. It looks really high off the ground. What is the background on that one?

[NathanFooter]

  That is a 12 to 14 foot tall evergreen tree,  it is bent over to the left at the base and then broken up high in the other direction.   The break pattern gives it this zigzag shape over all.   So what ever did it pulled it over at about half way up the tree then broke the top backwards over it's self, this is not the only reason it was interesting, it was over hanging a large game trail.  

[Guest WesT]

Nathan, I've seen paths blocked like that with broken pine tree limbs. Evidence of something, that has the ability to manipulate the environment to fulfill a need, can be found on and near game trails. Could be bears, could be something else.....

 

[Guest jtheat]

Hello... this is my first post.  My friend WesT told me about this forum and particularly this thread  I use to live in the same neck of the woods where he lives now. 

 

I frequently hunted the hills near the same area where WesT took the pictures that he posted earlier in this thread.  To keep it short.. one day in the mid 1970s I went hunting alone atop of a mountain area near my house (against the advice of my friend at that time). On top of the mountain I found one of the "hunting blind" structure on the edge of the woods next to a clearing and close to a creek.  This structure was covered with fresh limbs of trees in the area. My first impression was "Is that a  green TeePee?".  I looked it over closely and it had a opening facing the clearing and it had a dense covering of boughs with fresh leaves.  It was big enough for 2-3 people inside.  It appeared to have been made just hours before I ran across it.  My first thought was that is was made by moonshiners and it would be prudent for me to leave the area. Just moments later I had an encounter with a bigfoot. In retrospect I felt the structure was a shelter or hunting blind. 

 

One day I may post my story but for now I thought this would be appropriate on this thread... 

 

Jim 

[JKH]

Good to hear more details about your experiences, Jim. Hope you enjoy the forums.