We are located in southern Oregon along the Pacific Coast in a small town, and I was hiking a trail when I found an interesting tree. The tree is an 8" diameter smooth cedar tree, and there are scratch marks up to about 12' all around the tree. The bark is soft and easy to scratch. These are u shaped scratch marks and not claws marks. I was able to duplicate the scratch marks with my nails. I picked up shavings at the base of the tree and will post pictures. The shavings are 5" long by 1/8" wide. Has anyone ever heard of these findings before?

Hmmm....did you take any photos? It's hard to say just from a description.
Any reason it couldn't be a bear?
Bear scratches on tree: http://www.nps.gov/archive/yell/slidefile/...mages/17127.jpg

Love that avatar Violet! LOL

I agree pics would be needed in addition to the description given of the scratched cedar.

Bear, antler rubs, raccoons, cats...there are many explanations for scratches on a tree. Squirrels will strip the bark off with their teeth. Violet and T are correct, photos would be very helpful. Do you know what type of cedar it was? There are four that grow in Oregon (though none are true cedars...go figure!) Incense, Western, Port-Orford or Alaska (which is really a cypress) Given your location, I am guessing it was a Port-Orford?? Some barks are a little softer than others and some more aromatic. Some just plain stink too lol. I am no tree expert, a newbie at best, but close up photos of bark and leaves might help determine the species of tree and the possible culprit.

Sorry to digress. Post a photo!


Redwolf

We don't have them around here but won't porcupines shred trees?

The damage from a porcupine is usually in patches and doesn't look like scratches as George described. Given time, porcupines will chew a ring around the tree and eventually kill it. We have many porcupines in Oregon.

http://www.insectimage.com/Gallery%2016/index.html

... I've recently posted a question about cedar bark in relationship to possible sasquatch use. I'd not even thought about cedar bark in this context. I was hiking alone in an area here near the lower mainland in British Columbia. There are a few reports from the area and I was in there camping overnight to see if I could 'hear' something. I'd set up camp and then hiked uphill through dense pine/evergreen slopes with lots of broken and dead wood about. The valley is steep with a lake at the bottom and high cliff and rock ridges above.

I'd not yet reached the rock (where vegetation was less) when I spotted a cedar tree just up ahead. It stood out because there were no others around. What made me look in the first place was what I initially thought to be bear scratch marks on the bark. But upon closer inspection I saw none of the tell tale diagonal slash/scratching marks usually found with sign such as bear scratch. Hmmm.

It appeared as though the bark had been stripped off methodically. The lowest point of bark stripping was just below waist level (I'm 6.1") and continued up to at least 12 foot up the trunk or so, maybe higher.

It appeared in places as though someone had raked their fingernails straight down the trunk, leaving wide soft grooves in the bark, the fingernail having removed the softer bark. I would like to say that is what it was and on touching these grooves, it could well be an argument. I did not try peeling the bark in a way to get the results I observed on that tree. I did take some pictures of the area and carved an initial into a nearby fir tree. Then I smelled something a little off, a little odd. Nothing alarming in that sense, but enough to alert one to possible weirdness. Being alone I knew it wasn't smart to try to find the source, in case there was a bear kill or bears or whatever.

I want to return to that same spot but not alone next time. I want to check out the tree again and try to determine if that smell or something similar can be detected at that spot. 'If' a smell is detected, 'then' the area would be ripe for two or more people to do a bit more cautious bush whacking, should something be in the area. I supposed a re-occurring smell could point to active habitation.

-can one post images from hard drive?

The copy repair guy who just came back from Iraq was here a few weeks ago. He advised that he was hunting elk in Colorado and came on a group of fur trees. He advised the guide showed him a fresh bear scratching in the tree that was about three or four feet higher in a tree than he could reach and he is 603. He advised the bears mark there territory with these marks. He advised there was old marks in a number of the trees, but there was not near as high as this one. The guide became nervous and lead them out of the area quickly. The advised that this must be a huge bear to mark a tree this high.

A friend advised he went camping in Oregon in bear country, a park ranger came by and advised him when walking to wear bright colored clothing, jingle bells (so he would not surprise a bear) and carry pepper spray. The ranger told him there were brown bears and grizzly bears in the area.

He told him that tracks of a brown bear were the size of a paint can lid and a grizzly bear track was the size of a 10 gallon bucket lid.

The droppings from a brown bear you would see animal hair, vegetation, berry seed and it would have a fruity smell. Droppings from a grizzly bear you would see jingle bells, bright colored fabric and have a pepper smell!!!!!!!

That one always cracks me up...