I am a bit surprised that people (such as MisterAL), for whom the logging issue is a very urgent one, aren't coming out in full-throated denunciation of tree spiking.

They should be. I would prefer the denunciation happen because people see that such violence is plainly despicable and evil.

But failing that, you'd think they'd denounce it for purely political reasons. Things like spiking do great harm to their own cause. When something like this happens, it drives away people who would ordinarily be sympathetic and changes the conversation away from logging practices.