A Scottish charity which cares for some of the country's most popular forests is asking people not to take part in the recent trend of hammering coins into trees.
The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) said the revival of the 'tradition' is having a devastating impact on Scotland's woodlands.
Posting on their Facebook page, they reiterated calls for people to avoid the practice.
The charity wrote: "More and more people are participating in this practice due to a growing ‘fashion’ to make votive offerings for wishes, and we're seeing much damage to trees (including living ones) at our places such as The Hermitage and Dollar Glen.
"PLEASE don’t do this! It’s not only harmful to the trees themselves, but it can poison other wildlife as well."
The NTS asked people to instead make a "positive difference" by donating the coins to the Trust so they can use them to protect Scotland's precious woodlands and wildlife.
One angry NTS follower replied: "I've been going to the Hermitage since the '80s and it's definitely a relatively modern 'tradition' it'll be some fad started on Instagram."
While another added: "Same as the stupid "tradition" of tying rags to trees, it's just vandalism."
The history behind the tradition
Woods and forests in Scotland were said to harbour spirits and mystical creatures that could be tempted to grant wishes in exchange for good luck.
This folklore led to offerings, such as nails or pennies being left at mystical sites, with some hammering the coins into trees to ensure they couldn't then be taken by known faerie hands.
One old oak on Loch Maree is so famous for the tradition that it was once visited by Queen Victoria, however, the poor tree eventually succumbed to copper poisoning from all of the coins.
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