Item #: SCP-5867
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: Area-5867 has been established at SCP-5867's location, operating under the guise of a natural research institution observing local tree growth. Guards dressed in stereotypical lumberjack attire are posted at regular intervals around Area-5867's perimeter for two purposes: deterring civilians from entrance and, more commonly, luring SCP-5867 instances at least 50 meters back from the perimeter via holding up an axe and pretending to be selecting an instance to fell. If a particular instance does not retreat within one minute, destructive force is permitted.
To prevent behavioral changes and population growth, one instance of SCP-5867 is to be felled by D-Class personnel in stereotypical lumberjack attire monthly. These personnel are encouraged to choose which instance is terminated based on whichever is the most noteworthy in appearance and behavior.
New pictograms within Area-5867 are to be catalogued upon discovery, and care should be taken not to damage an image until all necessary research has been conducted.
Description: SCP-5867 is a collection of ~400 mobile pine trees that reside in an area of roughly 43 square kilometers in the Miramichi River Valley in New Brunswick, Canada. Each instance has limited intelligence and is capable of controlled movement. This movement occurs every 0.96 seconds simultaneously for each instance, each one instantaneously being in a different location between 1 and 120 centimeters from its original location, the result visually resembling stop-motion animation. This significantly disturbs nearby dirt and often damages bark upon the lower trunk, allowing easy identification of SCP-5867 instances. Branches can also assume new orientations and positions during movement, and are used for holding and manipulating objects such as exchanged logging materials.
Each SCP-5867 instance is capable of reproduction like non-anomalous trees, though at a slowed rate, leading to ~10-14 total new instances each year.
Despite a lack of complex light-receptive organs, SCP-5867 are capable of responding to a large variety of visual stimuli, usually consisting of a cessation of movement when near unobscured humans. However, upon seeing logging paraphernalia and other associated persons or items, SCP-5867 instances will attempt to make themselves more noticeable and enticing. This is typically achieved by holding large collections of fallen sticks/branches, or by quickly approaching lumberjacks while they are looking in another direction. Furthermore, SCP-5867 have a limited ability to understand written English, showing marked interest and curiosity towards anything bearing words such as "axe", "chop", "splinter", "tree", or "wood".
After an instance is felled by standard logging methods, all other instances will exchange large quantities of hoarded logging paraphernalia and wood scraps from destroyed instances. It is currently unknown where these items are obtained or stored as they spontaneously appear/disappear from the branches of certain instances, but the oldest items date from at least 150 years prior.
Addendum-5867_Pictograms: Since SCP-5867's containment, several hundred pictograms have been found with increasing intensity inscribed upon the ground within Area-5867 using asymmetrical wooden implements. SCP-5867 instances have been found to deliberately avoid disturbing pictograms visible from higher than 30 centimeters, even if the alternate route taken results in damage to the instance or the prevention of termination by felling. Out of the total 142 catalogued pictograms:
- 81 show a two-dimensional view of a tree surrounded by disturbed soil
- 35 show multiple instances of logging paraphernalia
- 20 show 12-140 trees in radially symmetrical patterns
- 6 show dozens of shattered logs and pieces of wood, some being used to build housing and furniture
Addendum-5867_Water: Due to recent local droughts severely drying soil and plant life, SCP-5867 have been much slower in movement, with the entire population observed sporadically stopping to rest for three to four hours every 12-60 hours. Subsequently, attempts to gain the attention of guards have increased by 310% within the last month, and several offerings of wooden and metal axes were left near D-Class personnel.
While these actions are suspected to be a request for additional water, this belief cannot currently be confirmed. Due to limited funding for Area-5867, artificial hydration will not be conducted unless significant declines in health appear in the SCP-5867 population.
Addendum-5867_Incident_Log:
[BEGIN LOG]
[03:05] One of Area-5867's cameras is monitoring roughly 50 resting instances of SCP-5867. One instance's branches are repeatedly moving in a pattern resembling vibration.
[03:08] Moving instance [hereby abbreviated as MI] rotates 90º four times in succession, breaking apart nearby soil.
[03:09] MI begins moving east rapidly at 3.2 kilometers per hour. Other instances stop resting and begin quickly moving about in a chaotic manner, though movement is greatly restricted by dry soil.
[03:10-03:12] MI continues moving east at a slowly increasing speed, reaching within 100 meters of Area-5867's perimeter. Additional instances of SCP-5867 continue to appear from various directions and begin chasing MI.
[03:13] MI is moving east at 4.3 km/h, and is within 30 meters of Area-5867's perimeter with its branches positioned upwards. Guards attempt to respond, but the instance's roots become stuck within a small grouping of rocks. Other instances continue to move towards it.
[03:14] MI is surrounded by 20 other instances and obscured from view. Significant struggling between the branches of various instances can be seen.
[03:15-03:52] Between 60 and 100 more SCP-5867 instances gather with the already present instances. Loud wooden collision noises are consistently produced during this time, reaching progressively higher volumes. More guards are gathered to prevent a mass containment breach.
[03:53-03:58] Gathered instances leave en masse.
[03:59] MI is now visible. The roots and lowest meter of its trunk are surrounded with a thick layer of mud and rocks to prevent movement, and its larger branches have been heavily damaged and splintered by blunt force. An "X" has been drawn in darker mud at eye-level upon the trunk. Lastly, a heavily rusted axe is embedded in MI's tree fork.
[END LOG]
Closing Notes: Due to sustained injuries and a potential containment hazard, MI was terminated after this event. During the subsequent autopsy, it was found to have grown over several aged scraps of paper from an undetermined reference book, detailing the average lifespan of pine trees and the most common causes of death for them. More intense ring growth was discovered above a picture of "Methuselah", a 4800-year-old bristlecone pine tree in California.
Within the days following the instance's removal and termination, the remainder of SCP-5867 held an unusually-long exchanging of items, mostly focused upon wood scraps from Foundation-terminated instances. Since the incident, younger instances have engaged in markedly more attempts to be selected for termination. In addition, there have been zero subsequent cases of instances going within 50 meters of the perimeter. Containment procedures will be revised if this behavior continues.
