Woman reveals hidden downside to seemingly innocent trend in nature areas: 'People need to realize'

A viral TikTok is peeling back the layers of a well-meaning but damaging forest trend — and the environmental impact might surprise you.

In the video, creator MyVeggieTravels (@myveggietravels) explores the forests of Scotland, where tree stumps filled with hammered-in coins — so-called "coin trees" — have become a popular tradition. But what looks like a quirky custom is actually harming the forest from the inside out.

@myveggietravels Why are the coins in these trees in Scotland's forests a bad thing? I went to get answers from the National Trust for Scotland Rangers. In natural forest ecosystems, dead wood is an incredibly important part of the natural balance of the ecosystem. Urbanisation and modern forestry practices have resulted in a sharp decrease in the availability of deadwood habitat, causing many forest species dependent on this deadwood to decline significantly. This is important, as dead wood is essential for many different groups of organisms, particularly fungi, lichens and insects, many of which can only grow on specific tree species, or only on dead, decaying wood. The introduction of metals through coin stumps, which leech metals into the wood, changes the properties of the wood and makes it unsuitable for these fungi, lichens and insects. These metals can takes many years to break down, and as they do, they leech these metal compounds into the soil, affecting the whole habitat. #scotland #nationaltrust #scotlandwalks #scotlandtiktok #scotlandfacts ♬ The Champion - Lux-Inspira

"Why are the coins in these trees in Scotland's forests a bad thing?" she asks in the caption. To find out, she turned to the National Trust for Scotland Rangers — and what she learned was troubling.

Deadwood plays a crucial role in healthy forest ecosystems, serving as habitat for fungi, insects, and lichens that rely on certain species and decaying conditions. But when coins are embedded in stumps, they introduce metals that leach into the wood and soil over time. This contamination changes the natural properties of the deadwood, making it uninhabitable for many of the species that need it to survive.

"These metals can take many years to break down, and as they do, they leach these metal compounds into the soil, affecting the whole habitat," the caption reads.

Unfortunately, this isn't the only case of human behavior disrupting ecosystems. Tourists at the Grand Canyon have started attaching "love locks" to fences and tossing keys into the gorge — a trend that endangers condors and other wildlife.

Commenters were quick to question the vandalism.

"Why are humans so hell bent on making the world around us worse?" one user said.

"I think people need to realize that the stump of a tree may be dead but it is still part of an ecosystem!!!" another added.

"Leave No Trace should really take off. Like. We've been pushing it for AGES," someone else wrote.Want to protect the places you love? Start by talking to those around you about the changing climate. A little knowledge goes a long way — especially in the forest.