The reason I got/get so frazzled over 'blazing' is evident by what I came aross in the woods this past weekend. I was surveying new property for the Open Space Committee here that I volunteer on for a new hiking park. There were older trees with fresh random blazes, like someone was just out whackin trees for no good reason. Then I came across a 16-20" dia cherry tree that had been 'girdled' by some jacka** with what appeared to be either a dull hatchet or a large soon to be dull knife <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> If the perp had just walked a few feet and played on a sumac it would've made a huge difference. Why? because the cherry was a rarer tree in those woods, and the sumac was plentiful in all manner of sizes. Plus, the jacka** left the tree up, which made it a hazard that I now have to go back and take down <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> It's girdled 6" in all the way around. A good tree ruined for no purpose. I will try to salvage the wood to bring to a friend that makes furniture.