Man arrested for vandalizing 500 pine trees in northern Minn.

kare11.com ^ | Dec 7, 2009 | KARE 11 Staff Writer

[Berlin_Freeper]

According to a criminal complaint, 41-year -old Stephen Louis Olson of Backus was angry the county planned to log the trees. Cass County officials say the stand is thinned every ten to 15 years. About 100 of the 600 trees were slated to be cut down and sold this month. The money would have benefitted the community and school district.

- Authorities say the entire forest must be cut down due to safety concerns. Mike Diekmann of the Cass County Sheriff's Office says that if a saw hit one of the nails, "it would explode like a gun going off" and could cause serious injury.

[WOBBLY BOB]

EnvironMENTAList ?

[OB1kNOb]

The trees aren’t the only one getting nailed.

[Responsibility2nd]

Typical eco-loonie.

Better to destroy an entire forest, than to use it for the intended purpose.

[Blueflag]

I’ve hit nails with a chain saw before.

It’s exciting, but I wear the right clothing and head/face shield, and after I check the blade and sharpen the teeth (or actually put another blade on) I go back to work.

Now at the SAW MILL, they might have their own problems!

[I cannot think of a name]

Life keeps imitating television.

Sounds like the Married with Children episode when Steve tries to “save” Bosco the sea turtle and ends up drowning it.

[Sacajaweau]

So how many nails did he put in one tree?? Use a metal detector...

And then there are those muscle bound dudes...who like to hack'em down!!!

[Anti-Bubba182]

They need to give serious time to tree spikers.

[org.whodat]

Mike Diekmann of the Cass County Sheriff's Office says that if a saw hit one of the nails, "it would explode like a gun going off" and could cause serious injury.

Man is a mental midget!!!

[1776 Reborn]

More climate terrorists are being indoctrinated every day in our schools.

[TChris]

Man is a mental midget!!!

I don't know what a chainsaw would do with a nail, but I know you DO NOT want to be in front of the input side of a power planer if there is a nail in the wood!

[ALinArleta]

He lives on the farm next to the stand of trees.

Coming soon: He used to live on the farm next to the stand of trees!

[org.whodat]

It will dull the chain , but the chain will cut through it. Now one of those big power hydraulic saw, would never know the nail was there.

But a power planner, always look at board first.

[GraceG]

Don’t like people cutting down trees then plant some trees!!!!

This is what i tell the loony envirowachkoes.

[fish hawk]

I see no problem here at all. There are metal detectors for sale in a couple different catalogs I have seen on woodworking. Not too expensive either. Just take a little longer. If it were me I would metal detect only the area that the saw is going to cut through at the base. Then when they are hauled into the mill yard and are laying down, have them checked out completely with the detectors.

[Dr.Zoidberg]

EnvironMENTALly Ill.

[discostu]

It all depends on the size of the nail, and the size and speed of the saw. Those chainsaws professional loggers use go very fast, and if they hit a nail in such a way that it dead stops then the chain usually breaks and becomes a projectile. Spiking trees was a major hobby of Earth First for a while.

[Blueflag]

That’s why I wear the Kevlar pants.

A broken flailing chain hurts, but won’t slice my leg.

Been hit in the helmet and face shield. THAT’s ‘exciting’

[Oztrich Boy]

Trees are a nonrenewable resource!

[jackibutterfly]

Okaaaaay.... so, WHY did he do it?? Dumb article - states what he did, but didn’t say why. Weird.