Shoutout to climbers: The spike debate on healthy trees like live oaks has me scratching my head.

I'm hearing two sides: one that says spikes cause too much damage and another that insists they're vital for safety, so what's your vote?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_elliot1mo ago

Man, this is such a perfect example of people going for the fast solution without thinking it through. Like @susanb34 said, those spikes wreck the tree's natural defenses. I see this all the time with stuff like using harsh chemicals to kill weeds that just poison the whole yard later. We keep picking the short cut that feels solid now, but ends up making the real problem way worse down the road.

wood.eric27d ago

Honestly my buddy did this to a maple in his yard to stop raccoons. Tbh the tree got a bad fungus within two years and they had to cut it down. Ngl it was a total waste of a good tree.

barbara_dixon1mo ago

Wait, people are actually putting spikes in live oaks? That's wild. Those trees are tough but still, seems like a lot. What kind of damage are we talking about here?

susanb341mo ago

Seriously, I saw something about this on a local news site last week. People are driving spikes into live oaks to stop squirrels or maybe even vandals from climbing or damaging the bark. But the article said it can really hurt the tree, lol. Spikes create wounds that let in bugs and fungi. Live oaks have thick bark, but puncturing it messes with the tree's ability to move water and nutrients. Over time, it can weaken the tree and make it more likely to fall during storms, which is super dangerous.