Time to stamp out another wildlife crime: Tree Tagging

Last year, it was the "Bear Selfie" craze that showed how people can disrespect nature. This year, the issue can be known as "Tree Tagging."

An annual Fall tradition for thousands is visiting Taylor Creek in South Lake Tahoe to watch the annual final trek for kokanee salmon as they spawn upstream. During the 2014 Kokanee salmon run at Taylor Creek, spectators left pathways at the popular U.S. Forest Service Visitor Center in South Lake Tahoe in search of a selfie photo with a bear. Not only was this dangerous for the human, it was dangerous for the bear and USFS threatened to close the area to the public.

In order to prevent the same issue in 2015, forest officials put up extra signage and added staff to patrol the area. It seems to be working, but that could also be because of fewer salmon in the creek results in a smaller food supply for the bear, thus keeping their numbers down.

A new problem is now becoming more evident along the Visitor Center's Rainbow Trail. While there was always a small issue of people carving their initials or words into the quaking aspen trees that line the pathway, the problem is growing and has prompted the Forest Service to put up signage telling people to not cut into the trees.

Not only is the extra staff on duty to help answer questions of visitors, they are also on the lookout for people leaving the trail for photos with wildlife and to watch for people cutting up trees.

While it seems obvious to many that you shouldn't damage trees, it seemed obvious to others that bear selfies weren't the wisest thing to do as well. Public education may be the only way to keep the trees alive.

A single sign along the trail says "Please, leave territory-marking for the wildlife" in reference to people marking the trees up.

If the drought wasn't enough, carving into the already stressed out quaking aspens causes their lifespan to shorten and reduces the ability to make its own food, also known as photosynthesis. Fungus also gets into the cut marks.

Anyone who sees someone cutting into the trees is asked to report the vandalism to the Visitor's Center or Sheriff's office since it is illegal.