I made this video as a quick PSA from the road after camping all over Colorado this summer and fall and seeing the same thing over and over: people carving and chopping into living aspen trees. Aspens have this incredible (and unforgiving) trait—when you scratch or cut them, they don’t “heal” like you think. They scar. Those names, hearts, and hatchet marks turn into open, bleeding-looking wounds that stretch as the tree grows. What starts as “cute” or “innocent” (especially kids running around with a hatchet) becomes real damage. Those scars create weak points, invite bugs and disease, and over time they can kill the tree. And when the aspens die in the places we love to camp—dense, shady groves—those sites degrade, trees fall, and people spread out to the next pristine spot and repeat the cycle. My ask is simple: come enjoy our public lands, bring your family, but don’t carve into aspens and don’t let anyone chop into live trees. If we want to keep access open and avoid more closures and regulations, we’ve got to take care of these forests so we can come back with our grandkids and still recognize the place.