‘It sort of makes sense’

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Trail cameras in the woods of the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia, Canada, have picked up evidence of a curious behavior by the country’s largest residents.

According to The Dodo, the cameras set up by volunteer “citizen scientist” Mary Beth Pongrac showed multiple bears all seemingly obsessed with the same tree. Different bears would bite, scratch, and rub up against that favored western red cedar. Bears of all species have been known to exhibit this behavior, and it’s generally understood that bears prefer evergreen trees with fewer branches.

“When you look at the shape of the tree — with that horizontal part above the base, at just the perfect height for a horizontal back scratch, then notice the vertical part that’s also perfect because it’s vertical — it sort of makes sense that the bears would love it,” Pongrac told The Dodo.

The primary force behind the behavior isn’t so much about getting a hard-to-reach itch, but rather for communication purposes. Bears have a truly outstanding sense of smell, as the National Park Service notes, a black bear’s schnoz is a hundred times more powerful than a human’s. The research into “rub trees” suggests they essentially act as community boards for bears, though use varies by season.

Black bears are most likely to use rub trees in the spring and early summer for scent communication between competing males during mating season. Females are more likely to use rub trees in mid- to late summer. It’s known that grizzly males use the same rub trees, but the research is still relatively new, and further studies are needed to understand the behavior.

The footage underlines the importance of trail cameras in conservation efforts. By gaining insights into a species in a non-intrusive way, it’s possible to form effective strategies based on a species’ particular needs.

Some of the rarest creatures on earth have been observed with trail cameras. It’s also a helpful reminder that some of the most consequential environmental work occurs at the local level.

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