The Mystery of the Saratoga County ‘Poop Tree’, Explained

Poop Tree in Upstate NY

A big, old tree in Upstate NY is littered with so much poop, it's as remarkable as it is unnerving, but when you gotta go, you gotta go, and judging by the sheer amount of excrement, you'd think it was the last rest stop in the forest!

We found a Facebook post from a curious resident in Upstate NY showing a photo of something in the woods they call a "poop tree" and wondered what may have caused it.

Gabriel Frankenwich from Ballston Spa told us that the poop tree he knows of is inside Daketown State Forest, slightly west of the heart of Saratoga County.

See the video and pics of the tree, below

[video mp4="https://townsquare.media/site/81/files/2023/05/attachment-10000000_5845252552263731_672081007285817048_n-11.mp4"][/video]

What caused this?

After a bit of back-and-forth chatter on Facebook, one person who posted took fecal matters into their own hands, refuting the claims that this was the dirty work of an opossum and speculating that it's porcupine poop.

Porc-U-Potty

According to wildlife experts, porcupines are "doo-ing" the deed!

Porcupines are known to do their business outside of their dens, which are usually in a hole at the base of a hollow tree. They make zero effort to clean up after themselves.

Is it harmful?

According to experts, porcupines do not carry any infectious diseases that might pose health dangers to humans - not even in their poop.

Does it smell?

Porcupine poop does have a smell. However, you’d have to get close to the scat to smell something.