Why Washington State Parks don't like Hammocks?

[BigCarDaddy]

Heres a different assumptoon. a wire/rope clothesline to the opposing tree would also leave the same marks, especially with heavy items on it. could have even been ground dwellers that hung a line like that. I've sen all kinds of contraptions tied to trees.

seems it's more of an assumption that it may have been a hammock. But it does look suspicious.

So in the states and parks allowing hammocks, do the rangers now have to police your gear before you setup? A visit to your site after you setup is too late if you already rigged wrong.

[Spurr]

The fir is considered a soft wood but I'd never believe you could do that with a rope.. I can understand the reasons why they'd be against hanging anything from a tree with this type of damage done..I've seen drive in sites with rope line marks (nothing this serious) from people hanging camp cloths lines and in fact some parks have it in there camping rules not to hang anything from the trees..

[Mumbles]

Damage I have seen is from rope/cord that must have had high weight bearing or tension. Nothing like clothes line marks.

[Gary_R]

they were probably swinging in the hammock.

[Likeapuma]

Question from an uneducated hanger: Would zing-it suspension for a tarp cause this kind of damage? I feel like I pitch my tarp pretty tight... Would that result in similar damage? I've looked on all the trees I've used (mostly in the backyard, and never seen anything more than a "scuff"

[Ratdog]

Depends on the tree (bark).

Soft bark trees damage more easily but heal faster. Hard bark trees are tough to damage but heal more slowly.

Damage I see at campgrounds is mostly from kids, people playing with axes or stripping bark. Trees look like hell but for the most part survive.

Beavers have chewed bark an inch or two deep, 2' high and better than half way round the trees, tree still survives. When the ring goes all the way around, trouble for the tree.

[WickedKlown2]

Depends on the tree (bark).

Soft bark trees damage more easily but heal faster. Hard bark trees are tough to damage but heal more slowly.

Damage I see at campgrounds is mostly from kids, people playing with axes or stripping bark. Trees look like hell but for the most part survive.

Beavers have chewed bark an inch or two deep, 2' high and better than half way round the trees, tree still survives. When the ring goes all the way around, trouble for the tree.

Don't forget about Deer scraping/rub the Trees. Here at the Training Site we have 5 Training Areas for the Military to utilize for dismount maneuvers and land navigation. There are multiple trees out there that are still alive but have been stripped bare all the way around by deer scrapping the velvet off their antlers and leaving their scent for the rut ( from 6 inches all the way to 4 foot off the ground ) . It surprises me the trees survive but they do.

[OneClick]

Heres a different assumptoon. a wire/rope clothesline to the opposing tree would also leave the same marks, especially with heavy items on it. could have even been ground dwellers that hung a line like that. I've sen all kinds of contraptions tied to trees.

I'll buy that. Plus you get kids hanging on the clothes line. Or someone that kept trying to readjust the line to make it tighter, causing a "sawing" effect.

But no matter what caused it I appreciate the pics to reinforce the idea of using straps.

[fishbait]

So in the states and parks allowing hammocks, do the rangers now have to police your gear before you setup? A visit to your site after you setup is too late if you already rigged wrong.

That depends on the park. In my ground dwelling days, I was cowboy camping. The Park Ranger made it his job to check every camp site to ensure that the people in the park were okay and following the rules. To be honest I really don't mind if a ranger wants to stop in and check up on me if I'm camping.

[Olydog09]

That is a Douglas Fir.