Christmas tree thieves in for a smelly surprise

Associated Press

Last update: 20 November 2003

MINNEAPOLIS — It would look like a Christmas tree and smell like a skunk.

That’s what thieves who snatch pine trees from the University of Minnesota will get for their efforts this holiday season.

Grounds superintendent Les Potts said the university lost seven evergreens to poachers last year. So this year, the university is spraying balsam fir, Scotch pine and anything that could pass for a holiday tree with skunk scent.

For years, Christmas tree thieves have been sawing down trees in the middle of the night.

But last year they lopped the tops off 18-foot trees that were more than 20 years old. The trees probably are permanently disfigured, Potts said.

So, why skunk?

“Can you think of something worse?” Potts asked.

Cold weather masks the smell. But warm, indoor air releases it.

“We’ll probably still lose some trees, but I have some satisfaction in knowing that it’s not going to work out the way the thief thinks it will,” Potts said.

He admitted wondering what the campus will smell like when warm weather hits next spring.