PULLMAN, Wash.- Vandals shopping for a Christmas tree on the Washington State University campus will be in for an unpleasant surprise when they get it home and start to hang the lights.
Facilities Operations Grounds Department has begun spraying Conifer trees with skunk scent to deter vandals from cutting them down and using them as Christmas trees. Thieves will not know whether a tree has been treated with the mixture until they get it indoors, which causes the scent to intensify.
Kappy Brun, WSU grounds supervisor, recalled one such incident. “They got the tree indoors, got it decorated and had to pull it outside on their lawn, decorations and all, because the scent became too much,” she said. “It was pretty obvious.”
“Also, last year, police followed a trail of footprints and a tree being dragged through the snow to a resident hall, catching the culprits who cut down a small Blue Spruce tree,” Brun said. Cutting down trees located on the WSU campus is destruction of public property and can result in fines.
The spraying program began more than 16 years ago to discourage theft of trees on campus around Christmas time. Tree theft is most prevalent on the outskirts of campus, including along airport road.
For more information, contact Brun at 509-335-9067 or kappy@wsu.edu.
