Kilroy was here
Carving your initials into a tree, preferably with a loved ones' and a heart around it, is a time-honored tradition in literature, movies and Saturday morning cartoons. But does anyone actually do it? I never have, despite spending a large part of my adolescence camping in the woods.
I got my answer at the Greensboro Arboretum. Dozens of beech trees show the distinct signs of knife-wielding graffiti artists. Virtually all are initials and dates. One dates back to 1944; I'm guessing it is legit because it is wide, which is how carvings grow over the years.
I'm sure arborists are dismayed by it, and I would never promote it, but walking through the woods looking at all the "love" written on the trees was nice.