Walking Trees

Item #: SCP-XXXX

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: Instances of SCP-XXXX are to be contained upon capture in individual reinforced glass-topped concrete containment gardens located on Site-103. These gardens are to measure at least six meters by six meters in size. Size of containment may need to be increased for especially large specimens. The bottom of the garden is to be extended downwards at least two meters in depth and lined with fertile soil. Irrigation systems are to be installed. Reinforced iron doors are required. The gardens are to be totally soundproofed and loudspeakers installed. The containment gardens are to be monitored at all times and undue movement reported to senior personnel.

Foundation personnel should monitor ranger channels for mention of SCP-XXXX. If manifestations of SCP-XXXX are detected, the area should be quarantined under the guise of a toxic spill until the instances can be lured into containers and airlifted out. If an XXXX event occurs, armed Foundation response teams should evacuate the area and prepare to use force in case the instances display aggression. They can then be enticed away and airlifted out as described above. Amnesties are to be administered and any damage or loss of life attributed to inclement weather.

Description: Instances of SCP-XXXX appear similar to elm trees (Ulmus), featuring anomalous behavior and root structures. SCP-XXXX seem to spontaneously manifest naturally in groups of 4-20 in unpopulated areas wherever elm trees can be found. These manifestations appear random, with an average of 0.4 manifestations occurring globally every year.

SCP-XXXX possesses a small non-anomalous root ball. Extending from this are 4-7 long roots consisting of sappy, flexible wood. These roots can be up to six meters long and are capable of movement inconsistent with their composition. SCP-XXXX is capable of supporting its mass on these tentacles and walking at speeds of up to five km/h. Ambulation consists of SCP-XXXX stabbing the earth with the pointed ends of its roots and moving slowly and smoothly along two or more meters above the ground. SCP-XXXX pulls itself along by pulling up roots and stabbing them in further forward. SCP-XXXX can travel long distances in this way.

Instances of SCP-XXXX produce numerous vocalizations, especially when mobile. These have been described by listeners as “creakings”, “groanings” and “screams”. The audio files bear similarities to audio of bent tree trunks. It is believed that these vocalizations aid in communication and echolocation. It is theorized that SCP-XXXX’s branches and leaves allow it to sense sound. The hearing range of SCP-XXXX has been observed to extend up to thirty miles and has been successfully dampened by soundproofing. Recorded vocalizations, when replayed within hearing range, will attract SCP-XXXX. This has proven to be a viable method of recovery.

Instances of SCP-XXXX naturally reside in four distinct states.
State 1: SCP-XXXX remains firmly rooted in the ground and appears identical to a non-anomalous elm. Apart from occasionally vocalising, it engages in no observable anomalous behavior. SCP-XXXX usually reverts to this state if it cannot sense any other instances in a thirty-mile radius.
State 2: SCP-XXXX “stands up” on its root system and wanders across unpopulated land, making frequent vocalisations. Groups of SCP-XXXX typically move together as they phase in and out of State 1 and State 2 in concert.
State 3: Also known as an XXXX event. Only five confirmed XXXX events have occurred in recorded history. Multiple “herds” of SCP-XXXX converge and make for a populated area, typically a rural town. The group overruns the area, slowly trampling over any obstruction. During an XXXX event, SCP-XXXX have been observed to scale buildings, overturn and destroy vehicles, and brush aside bystanders, often causing bodily harm. Though the destruction appears to be non-malicious in intent, the damage to infrastructure as well as the populace is typically massive. When the entire group has passed beyond the limits of the populated area, all participants will return to State 1, before dispersing in small groups.
State 4: State 4 occurs when SCP-XXXX is harmed in any way by an aggressive force. SCP-XXXX has been known to jump from any aforementioned state to State 4 instantaneously when harm is inflicted, regardless of proximity of other instances. SCP-XXXX gains heightened speed, makes repeated scream-like vocalizations, and reacts violently against the offending force, often resulting in the termination of the target and massive collateral damage.

When SCP-XXXX rests in State 1 for an extended period of time (one to two months), any normally non-anomalous elm trees in a thirty mile radius will begin to react anomalously. These trees, hereby referred to as SCP-XXXX-1, will begin to move through the ground toward the resting instances of SCP-XXXX. This phenomenon has never been witnessed firsthand in the wild, and will not occur in Foundation custody, only having been observed after the fact. SCP-XXXX-1 leaves long, exposed trenches in the earth behind it on its way to SCP-XXXX, implying that it drags itself along with its subterranean root system. Instances of SCP-XXXX-1 will gather in a perfect circle around the herd of SCP-XXXX. SCP-XXXX-1 retains no observable anomalous qualities after traveling to SCP-XXXX, and it is common for SCP-XXXX to move on later, leaving behind the ring. The exact significance, cause, and effect of this phenomenon is currently unknown.

Event Log 4/██/2005: On 4/██/2005, twenty of the ██ specimens in Foundation custody spontaneously jumped to State 4 without provocation while in containment. The directed aggression of the instances was proven sufficient to break the concrete walls of the gardens, and all twenty instances breached containment. The escaped instances formed a herd and proceeded to deal massive local damage to Site-103, causing █ more containment breaches, most notably SCP-(REDACTED) and SCP-(REDACTED). It took 62 minutes for the instances to cease State 4 behavior and become susceptible to enticement. The collective breaches resulted in ██ Foundation casualties. Following Event 4/██/2005, reinforcements were installed in containment walls, door security was increased and surveillance protocol was enacted.

Addendum 6/██/2015 |THIS FILE REQUIRES LEVEL 4 CLEARANCE OR HIGHER|: On
6/██/2015, the Foundation moved into rural farmland outside (REDACTED), Tennessee to recover █ instances of SCP-XXXX. When the initial task force arrived to set up a quarantine area, they found a group of ██ individuals grouped in a perfect circle around the herd. Although gatherings of civilians are common at XXXX sites, this group was outstanding in that all of them expressed prior knowledge of SCP-XXXX. The group, which consisted of local farmers and their families, told foundation personnel that for several nights previous they had received cryptic dreams compelling them to come to this specific location that morning. All individuals present expressed elation that “the gods” had come and would soon “liberate the earth”. All human subjects were detained for questioning and the instances of SCP-XXXX successfully recovered. Upon interview, all subjects (including small children) displayed themselves to be indoctrinated with highly radical environmental worldviews (despite many having previous conflicting beliefs), feeling that human civilization was a pathogenic anomaly on the face of the earth and that it would soon fall, returning humans to a more harmonious, bestial state. When questioned about SCP-XXXX, subjects responded that the instances had “persuaded them to feel differently” and were “saviors sent by the earth”. Class-A amnestics were administered and subjects sent back to their homes. The religious significance of SCP-XXXX, its possible telepathic abilities, and the veracity of its worshippers’ claims is currently under investigation by senior personnel.