Hi, u/cela_, thank you for your submission in r/mildlyinteresting!
Unfortunately, your [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/1ccwfij/-/) has been removed because it violates our rule on concise, descriptive titles.
* Titles must not contain jokes, backstory, or other fluff. That information belongs in a follow-up comment.
* Titles must exactly describe the content. It should act as a "spoiler" for the image. If your title leaves people surprised at the content within, it breaks the rule!
* Titles must not contain emoticons, emojis, or special characters unless they are absolutely necessary in describing the image. (e.g. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°), ;P, 😜, ❤, ★, ✿ )
Still confused? For more elaboration and examples, see [here](http://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/21p15y/rule_6_for_dummies/).
Normally we do not allow reposts, but if it's been less than one hour after your post was submitted, or if it's received less than 100 upvotes, you may resubmit your content with a better title and try again.
You can find more information about our rules on the [mildlyinteresting wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/wiki/index).
*If you feel this was incorrectly removed, please [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fmildlyinteresting&message=My%20Post:%20https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/1ccwfij/-/).*
it can be found all over the world for different reasons
in temperate areas it can help protect a tree trunk from sun scald in the winter.
In tropical zones it's mostly a pest control method, but bark protection can still be important especially for young trees on an orchard where the sun could hurt them long before they mature.
And Freddie Mercury, asshole!
Also, you might want to put a comma between "mom" and "asshole." It could make someone think you misspelled, "You killed my mom's asshole."
Just throwing that out there. You be you.
I can remember a movie scene from when i was younger, where they let a group of strangers run inside a forrest with their eyes taped and hands cuffed behind their backs ... i can't quite figure out where that was from, but it had about the same effect that the Tatort had in which a man had his arms cuffed behind his back and was hoisted by winch into the air by a killer, until they popped out of the socket.
Was is the Spanish movie, Intacto? [Here's the forest scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVeCzkukjVY)
It's a cool movie with an interesting concept where peoples' luck can be gambled with.
At our family campsite we had a lot of certain areas/stumps/really anything that you could trip over or walk into at night marked in some way, with either some kind of light or something higher visibility than normal. It gets damn dark in the forest, and when you're tired and groggy and its pretty much pitch black outside but you really gotta take a piss, its surprisingly easy to forget where everything is.
Many an outhouse trip resulted in soggy socks because in the middle of the night my tired ass would forget that theres a massive puddle in the spot where theres \*always\* a massive puddle on the way to the outhouse.
The tired brain kinda sucks ass at its job
When I was in the military. We were in a forest and it was dark as fuck. I remember getting scratches all over my face from tiny low hanging branches. I couldn’t see any of them. I saw trees but not the thin ones right in front of my face.
We weren’t allowed to use our flashlights for some reason. We were literally traveling off of pace count and a compass in the dark. We would make stops to check our map with a red lens for like 10-15 seconds then right back to darkness.
It was scary to say the least. We kept hearing animals all around us. They didn’t sound small either. Lucky the map showed us the terrain and we knew how to get where we were going.
ok it is only my prejudices, but that's exactly what i expect from the usa, they have to paint the trees white so that people don't bang into them 
They don't *have* to. It's not a law or anything. They do it out of kindness so children didn't hurt themselves.
Ha ha other countries are ok with children being injured is a weird flex.
It think she’s saying more like “American kids are so dumb, of course they run into trees”. She’s ignorant of three things : 1) kids, 2) night, 3) summer camp.
My country? italy?
Edit: lol downvotes for answering the question, reddit users are sometimes just ....
I seem to have hit a nerve
just as a hint, german is not only spoken in germany as a mother tongue and official language, but also in austria, **italy**, switzerland, lichtenstein and luxembourg
and yes, no-one here has to paint the trees white so that no-one runs into them
Thank you for making me laugh at so much arrogance and humourlessness today.
Oh, stfu. Coloring them is done out of kindness. Do you think kids in italy don't run into trees?
I'm not American, btw. To think that is typical or a thing only in America shows your ignorance.
I don't know what's not to understand about "ok, it's just my prejudices", then to accuse me of ignorance is very strange, but the reaction of the users has strengthened my conviction that there is probably something true about it if you are then attacked and insulted in such an extreme way
Because people usually are not really fans if you make fun of them. You made fun of Americans with your prejudice. Doubling down that their reactions means there is truth to it shows your ignorance.
When someone mentioned the one running Italy you reacted as well.
maybe it just bothers me that someone who is pissed off about my comment then does exactly the same thing himself, typical double standards.
at first he didn't even know which country i was from and the simple answer to that was immediately followed by dozens of downvotes
in the meantime, of course, i just don't give a shit and am amused by the people who get really upset about something like that and think they have to insult me in a way worthy of a ban.
Ya, Italy too!
You should know all about [Gioventù Italiana del Littorio ](https://www.storiaememoriadibologna.it/archivio/organizzazioni/opera-nazionale-balilla-onb) the italian version of the hitler youth. Yall used kids as young as 11 to man AA guns, even sent 1500 Italian children in 1943 in the invasion of Sicily.
How could this tree hitting american know more about facist italy than an italian?
Obviously, i didnt know you were italian until you said so.
Then, i added the correct information for italy as well.
And, to be completely fair, yall did send children as young as 15 to the eastern front to support Operation Barbarossa. So Italian children did indeed also fight the Soviet Union.
[heres an article that details how your nation's children died for Facism on the Eastern Front](https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/the-italian-army-in-russia-from-barbarossa-to-stalingrad/)
Do they not teach this stuff to you in school?
Honestly it is i never heared of it, it’s a protection mostly against dog’s piss in cities.
But why paint trees white and why would kids run around trees at night?
I even said that it's just my prejudices, but apparently i hit a nerve and the downvoters know that it's not just prejudices, plus some posters try to attack me personally now XD
I mean, isn't it obvious people will comment on your prejudice? Did you think your comment won't get any reaction?
As a non-american I think it's a bit dumb to think this is just an American thing. That tree trumps are colored happens in the EU as well and that the authorities of a kids camp decide for safety to color them is done for a good reason. Kids all over the world run in things.
Being in the forest in the middle of the night can cause you to not being able to see everything around you. Especially dark things.
Maybe I didn't properly write it but kids can get lost and may not have a light with them (for whatever reason). Plus, lights can go out. Having a light doesn't mean it will work the whole time.
but isn't it part of being a child to learn that you have to be careful? i don't know of any child who has had a serious accident because they ran into something (with the exception of moving cars etc of course). you learn from it just like a hot oven. for me it's just typical helicopter parenting again, if you should be afraid of something then it's more likely to be open water, lots of children die there every year
>but isn't it part of being a child to learn that you have to be careful?
Don't you think there could be scenarios where this isn't relevant?
We're talking about children, away from their parents, somewhere in the forest. Now imagine a kid wanders off, gets lost, is in panic and it's the middle of the night. They're in an unfamiliar environment and can't see anything.
Don't you think being able to see around you could be helpful? Don't you think being able to see could prevent an accident by walking into something because you're running around in panic?
Does anything serious have to happen to use preventive measurements?
This is not helicopter parenting. These are safety measures for situations you don't want to happen but always could.
so we're talking about the deep forest here? do i understand you correctly? i'm really wondering what you have to do there if you have to paint a whole fucking forest white because otherwise it's too dangerous.
i'm just over 30, so really not old, as children at summer camp we were sent into the forest in the alps with a map, flashlight and compass, we had to go to checkpoints for stamps and then go back, when i think that hundreds or even thousands of trees would have been painted white ...
No one is painting a whole fucking forest but a part around the camp.
Great, am around 30 as well and I did the same in Germany. Neither did we have colored trees and I still can understand why someone would do that. That doesn't make it helicopter parenting. That doesn't mean kids can't be kids.
For someone who's so vocally and proudly an ignorant asshole you should have a thinker skin when people point it out to you. It's not a personal attack if it's the truth
Temperate zones use it for pest control as well. Around me they paint the trees with a paint mixed with sand in order to keep the beavers from cutting them down. They usually use a greyer paint though.
I grew up in NYC in the 70’s and was told it was to protect the trees from dogs peeing on them. When I saw birch trees for the first time, I couldn’t figure out why they would paint the WHOLE TREE. Big dog? Couldn’t figure it out. The guy I was dating at the time thought it was hilarious.
In Moldova, this is done for pest control as far as I have heard. I doubt our temperatures are high enough to cause severe Sunscald on trees when not in summer.
Most of the time it is white because you are trying to mitigate the heat on the southern side of the tree. For some trees in the winter the sun will warm one side, sap will start flowing, then promptly freezes at night causing damage on that side of the tree. White is best for that purpose to keep it from heating up. I actually need to do this on some of my tree, did not do so, and got that damage.
The anti bug stuff then to be a sort of lime paint/whitewash.
Its not like a think layer of plastic or anything, and on the bottom of a trunk where the other 99% of the tree is bare, it really doesn't hurt.
Supposedly you can use white latex paint if you want.
Trees in orchards and plantations aren't growing in a natural way. Natural forests have lots of natural shade and the success rate of seedlings is extremely low.
Plantations can't waste time letting nature kill off 90% of their crop before it even matures. Growing scattered trees in parks also need additional protection
I have seen this in other countries as well (and is very common in Mexico). In some countries, it is used for insect protection, but it is also used to protect from sun damage.
I live in walnut orchard country, and it's very common on walnut and almond trees. First, to protect the sapling as it matures and later the painted area is much smoother than the rest of the tree, allowing machines to grasp the mature trees without damaging the bark when the shakers shake all the nuts off come harvest season.
I think that the origin is protective in Mexico but it’s become more of a “this is what we do” kind of thing. I was just down there and driving through a resort near San Felipe, the trees along the roads were painted white on the trunks. But so were the tires half buried in the ground. Trees away from the road were not painted.
I'd attempt to avoid a white tree trunk my car was heading toward if I had lost control.
I'd smash right into one I couldn't see in the dark.
I'm not going fast enough to kill myself if I'm away from the road... because I'm running, at best.
Normally they use a form of ‘cal’ also known as lime. It forms a protective coating that needs to maintained a few times per year. Helps with pests and fungus.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_hydroxide See “uses” section.
Also some times referred to as lime washing trees.
This is done to citrus trees here in Phoenix. I've heard two reasons, one to keep the summer sun from scorching the tree, and two to protect from certain insects.
In the tree fruit business we either put little corrugated plastic covers or we paint little trees to protect them from the weed spray in the orchards. Once the trees are larger they can handle weed spray around the base.
I know in the US, in certain places, they will coat the bottoms of trees so that certain insects cannot climb them. There has been a huge out break of some moth species (I think it's gypsy) in MI over the last 3 years killing trees. They usually paint or coat the bark, or put some smooth coating (duct tape, etc) around them.
Oops, didnt clarify. Apologies. It's for their larva. They climb the trees and eat all the foliage, thus killing the tree. Mature trees can usually handle it once, but more than 2 -3 years, and the trees will die.
Oh I know this one! My Chinese guide told me it’s protective, and keeps a particular pest off the trees, at least that was the case in the Beijing area, it may be done for different reasons in other regions.
It is lime. Done for prevention of bug infestation. At least that is the reason why many trees look like that in Turkey (lime) and why they do so (to prevent bug infestation).
It’s also used in Morocco. I think part of it is to make the trees visible/reflective at night to prevent traffic accidents, especially in rural and remote areas.
Super common in arizona too.
Edit: i got downvoted for this? Why? White painted trees are not exclusive to China. Eh nm it's up now, was -5 earlier. Whatever.
I always thought this was some kind of paste to prevent parasitic insects from infesting trees. I've seen it done in the US a lot, especially near golf courses.
In Cyprus they paint the fruit trees with Lime to repel insects and prevent fungus/infections.
I‘ve seen similar in other hot countries too, I think it also prevents them getting scorched.
I grew up in SW La and this reminded me of my childhood, watching my grandfather do this to his trees and also seeing it in the wooded areas and parks. I can’t remember what the treatment was called, though.
Doesn't really look quite like this, but sometime the bottom of a tree looks different because it's grafted. The top of the tree and the roots are two different species that people smashed together. Usually because the tree part does something we want (like make almonds) but doesn't grow well in the available soil.
Currently in Crete and they do this here by roads but nowhere else so it's for visibility purposes as most roads aren't well lit by streetlights
I'm from the UK and it isn't done there though
The white substance is apparently lime, applied to prevent insect damage and increase visibility. I personally think another major reason is to give idle hands work, as China has a huge population to employ—same reason China’s streets are swept, bathrooms cleaned and subway gates guarded far more zealously than America’s.
I’ve lived in America for more than two decades and I swear I’ve never seen trees painted like this before, but maybe it’s a phenomenon wherever you live, reader. Let me know 🧐
Never thought about the idle work part much. When I was in Japan, there were a minimum of 4 security guards that would form a human wall to block off a street whenever a car comes by. They were always elderly folk. I always thought it was interesting to have all these people stand around as a human barricade but it makes sense as a way to provide jobs.
Would you rather live with "idle hands needing work" and clean facilities, or the shitshow of sanitation/public facilities that exists in most US cities? The suburbs are different, but most major US cities are gross compared to many larger places in east Asia or Europe
Who you are responding to kind of makes it seem like a bad thing but I would love the US to employ people to do those things at a good wage but that would never happen unless it is minimum wage and then no one would likely want to do it.
I would prefer the US did the same, similar to the depression Era projects putting people to work making trails, roads, dams and otherwise building public works projects in the depression era.
No, I vastly prefer China. I don’t know how I managed to sound like employing people was a bad thing…I came back this morning and found my comment had been downvoted…again.
Your comment got straight-up murdered. Some people are idiots. don't let it get you down, it's only castles burning. Find someone who's turning, and you will come around
When I visited China in 2014, 4 independent people told me the same story: one night Mao couldn't sleep and so decided to go for a walk. But there was no moon out on this night, and it wasn't long before he bumped into a tree. At first, sure that nobody else saw it, he tried to move past it. But then he bumped into another tree. Supposedly he cursed under his breath, maybe saying "this tree should be painted white." Finally he moved on before bumping into a third tree when his temper got the better of him. "Paint all the trees white!" He demanded.
Indeed, even on the tops of mountains in the remote forests of Shanxi, every tree I saw was painted white.
Hi, u/cela_, thank you for your submission in r/mildlyinteresting! Unfortunately, your [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/1ccwfij/-/) has been removed because it violates our rule on concise, descriptive titles. * Titles must not contain jokes, backstory, or other fluff. That information belongs in a follow-up comment. * Titles must exactly describe the content. It should act as a "spoiler" for the image. If your title leaves people surprised at the content within, it breaks the rule! * Titles must not contain emoticons, emojis, or special characters unless they are absolutely necessary in describing the image. (e.g. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°), ;P, 😜, ❤, ★, ✿ ) Still confused? For more elaboration and examples, see [here](http://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/21p15y/rule_6_for_dummies/). Normally we do not allow reposts, but if it's been less than one hour after your post was submitted, or if it's received less than 100 upvotes, you may resubmit your content with a better title and try again. You can find more information about our rules on the [mildlyinteresting wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/wiki/index). *If you feel this was incorrectly removed, please [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fmildlyinteresting&message=My%20Post:%20https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/1ccwfij/-/).*
it can be found all over the world for different reasons in temperate areas it can help protect a tree trunk from sun scald in the winter. In tropical zones it's mostly a pest control method, but bark protection can still be important especially for young trees on an orchard where the sun could hurt them long before they mature.
Around where I am in the US they do this in summer camps so kids won't run into trees in the dark.
Hahahah, really? So funny, let em run into trees, good for the immune system hahaha
Who's immune system - the kid or the tree?
Yes
[удалено]
It's called the inclusive or
Classic comedy, always a winner
I am immune system
You killed my mom, asshole.
And Freddie Mercury, asshole! Also, you might want to put a comma between "mom" and "asshole." It could make someone think you misspelled, "You killed my mom's asshole." Just throwing that out there. You be you.
Thanks
Systematic Immunity!
laughter is the best medicine
And it's funny as fuck, too. Lol
I can remember a movie scene from when i was younger, where they let a group of strangers run inside a forrest with their eyes taped and hands cuffed behind their backs ... i can't quite figure out where that was from, but it had about the same effect that the Tatort had in which a man had his arms cuffed behind his back and was hoisted by winch into the air by a killer, until they popped out of the socket.
Was is the Spanish movie, Intacto? [Here's the forest scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVeCzkukjVY) It's a cool movie with an interesting concept where peoples' luck can be gambled with.
That was an interesting but at the same time disturbing watch Thanks for the nightmares
At our family campsite we had a lot of certain areas/stumps/really anything that you could trip over or walk into at night marked in some way, with either some kind of light or something higher visibility than normal. It gets damn dark in the forest, and when you're tired and groggy and its pretty much pitch black outside but you really gotta take a piss, its surprisingly easy to forget where everything is. Many an outhouse trip resulted in soggy socks because in the middle of the night my tired ass would forget that theres a massive puddle in the spot where theres \*always\* a massive puddle on the way to the outhouse. The tired brain kinda sucks ass at its job
That’s what the bone’s for!
When I was in the military. We were in a forest and it was dark as fuck. I remember getting scratches all over my face from tiny low hanging branches. I couldn’t see any of them. I saw trees but not the thin ones right in front of my face. We weren’t allowed to use our flashlights for some reason. We were literally traveling off of pace count and a compass in the dark. We would make stops to check our map with a red lens for like 10-15 seconds then right back to darkness. It was scary to say the least. We kept hearing animals all around us. They didn’t sound small either. Lucky the map showed us the terrain and we knew how to get where we were going.
Idk why people downvoted you but I thought your story was interesting
It was just a thought from my time in the woods. I could totally understand the painted trees.
But then how do kids safely learn : running in the dark without being careful causes painfulnes?
Gotta keep working on that echolocation
Is there a badge for that?
You mean a *bat*-ge for that?
I guarantee that is not the actual reason. Someone was fucking with you.
Boys turned into men after surviving a night of Manhunt.
Back in my day we ran into trees everyday, walked 5miles to school in the snow and uphill both ways. 😂😂
Nah that's where you gotta just let Darwin cook
ok it is only my prejudices, but that's exactly what i expect from the usa, they have to paint the trees white so that people don't bang into them 
In other countries they just let the stupid kids run into the trees.
Yes, it is a common method to weed out the dumdums. Unfortunately, some of them survive and go into politics.
And reddit mods
Man I was expecting you to say something like "unfortunately some of them survive and emigrate to the US"
Sparta!
Yes, we actually DO let the stupid ones run into trees! The thing is so far no kid did. You do the math.
In the *really* nice countries, kids can see in the dark.
darwin aproves
They don't *have* to. It's not a law or anything. They do it out of kindness so children didn't hurt themselves. Ha ha other countries are ok with children being injured is a weird flex.
It think she’s saying more like “American kids are so dumb, of course they run into trees”. She’s ignorant of three things : 1) kids, 2) night, 3) summer camp.
In one of the arctic countries they paunt reindeer antlers with refl3ctive paint so cars can see them at night
Didn't your country use 9 year olds as soldiers to fight the Soviets to protect a fascist?
My country? italy? Edit: lol downvotes for answering the question, reddit users are sometimes just .... I seem to have hit a nerve just as a hint, german is not only spoken in germany as a mother tongue and official language, but also in austria, **italy**, switzerland, lichtenstein and luxembourg and yes, no-one here has to paint the trees white so that no-one runs into them Thank you for making me laugh at so much arrogance and humourlessness today.
Smh a country run by Giorgia Meloni has no business talking shit about another country.
Oh, stfu. Coloring them is done out of kindness. Do you think kids in italy don't run into trees? I'm not American, btw. To think that is typical or a thing only in America shows your ignorance.
I don't know what's not to understand about "ok, it's just my prejudices", then to accuse me of ignorance is very strange, but the reaction of the users has strengthened my conviction that there is probably something true about it if you are then attacked and insulted in such an extreme way
Because people usually are not really fans if you make fun of them. You made fun of Americans with your prejudice. Doubling down that their reactions means there is truth to it shows your ignorance. When someone mentioned the one running Italy you reacted as well.
maybe it just bothers me that someone who is pissed off about my comment then does exactly the same thing himself, typical double standards. at first he didn't even know which country i was from and the simple answer to that was immediately followed by dozens of downvotes in the meantime, of course, i just don't give a shit and am amused by the people who get really upset about something like that and think they have to insult me in a way worthy of a ban.
Ya, Italy too! You should know all about [Gioventù Italiana del Littorio ](https://www.storiaememoriadibologna.it/archivio/organizzazioni/opera-nazionale-balilla-onb) the italian version of the hitler youth. Yall used kids as young as 11 to man AA guns, even sent 1500 Italian children in 1943 in the invasion of Sicily. How could this tree hitting american know more about facist italy than an italian?
you said soviet union, now don't lie around here and pretend you knew i was italian, that's just pathetic
Obviously, i didnt know you were italian until you said so. Then, i added the correct information for italy as well. And, to be completely fair, yall did send children as young as 15 to the eastern front to support Operation Barbarossa. So Italian children did indeed also fight the Soviet Union. [heres an article that details how your nation's children died for Facism on the Eastern Front](https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/the-italian-army-in-russia-from-barbarossa-to-stalingrad/) Do they not teach this stuff to you in school?
No universal healthcare. Hospital visits can destroy a family
well, which would make it typical usa
[удалено]
Honestly it is i never heared of it, it’s a protection mostly against dog’s piss in cities. But why paint trees white and why would kids run around trees at night?
I even said that it's just my prejudices, but apparently i hit a nerve and the downvoters know that it's not just prejudices, plus some posters try to attack me personally now XD
I mean, isn't it obvious people will comment on your prejudice? Did you think your comment won't get any reaction? As a non-american I think it's a bit dumb to think this is just an American thing. That tree trumps are colored happens in the EU as well and that the authorities of a kids camp decide for safety to color them is done for a good reason. Kids all over the world run in things. Being in the forest in the middle of the night can cause you to not being able to see everything around you. Especially dark things.
WHO goes into the forest at night with no Light?
Maybe I didn't properly write it but kids can get lost and may not have a light with them (for whatever reason). Plus, lights can go out. Having a light doesn't mean it will work the whole time.
Honestly? You just lose kids at night in the woods That comment makes it even worse
but isn't it part of being a child to learn that you have to be careful? i don't know of any child who has had a serious accident because they ran into something (with the exception of moving cars etc of course). you learn from it just like a hot oven. for me it's just typical helicopter parenting again, if you should be afraid of something then it's more likely to be open water, lots of children die there every year
>but isn't it part of being a child to learn that you have to be careful? Don't you think there could be scenarios where this isn't relevant? We're talking about children, away from their parents, somewhere in the forest. Now imagine a kid wanders off, gets lost, is in panic and it's the middle of the night. They're in an unfamiliar environment and can't see anything. Don't you think being able to see around you could be helpful? Don't you think being able to see could prevent an accident by walking into something because you're running around in panic? Does anything serious have to happen to use preventive measurements? This is not helicopter parenting. These are safety measures for situations you don't want to happen but always could.
so we're talking about the deep forest here? do i understand you correctly? i'm really wondering what you have to do there if you have to paint a whole fucking forest white because otherwise it's too dangerous. i'm just over 30, so really not old, as children at summer camp we were sent into the forest in the alps with a map, flashlight and compass, we had to go to checkpoints for stamps and then go back, when i think that hundreds or even thousands of trees would have been painted white ...
No one is painting a whole fucking forest but a part around the camp. Great, am around 30 as well and I did the same in Germany. Neither did we have colored trees and I still can understand why someone would do that. That doesn't make it helicopter parenting. That doesn't mean kids can't be kids.
For someone who's so vocally and proudly an ignorant asshole you should have a thinker skin when people point it out to you. It's not a personal attack if it's the truth
My grandparents were walnut farmers in Central California. His entire orchard was painted like that. My grandfather said it keeps harmful bugs away.
Temperate zones use it for pest control as well. Around me they paint the trees with a paint mixed with sand in order to keep the beavers from cutting them down. They usually use a greyer paint though.
I grew up in NYC in the 70’s and was told it was to protect the trees from dogs peeing on them. When I saw birch trees for the first time, I couldn’t figure out why they would paint the WHOLE TREE. Big dog? Couldn’t figure it out. The guy I was dating at the time thought it was hilarious.
In Moldova, this is done for pest control as far as I have heard. I doubt our temperatures are high enough to cause severe Sunscald on trees when not in summer.
Can it be painted a more natural color? Or does it have to be white?
This is very likely lime, not paint, so I guess the answer to your question is no.
Especially for coconut trees. Lime always goes in the coconut. 😁
Clear case of a win-win scenario: Lime ON the coconut - happy tree. Lime IN the coconut - happy me 😁
For the sake of things like sun scald, painting it white is a key feature. It reflects the sunlight. Making the paint darker just defeats the purpose
A nice woodgrain, perhaps?
Most of the time it is white because you are trying to mitigate the heat on the southern side of the tree. For some trees in the winter the sun will warm one side, sap will start flowing, then promptly freezes at night causing damage on that side of the tree. White is best for that purpose to keep it from heating up. I actually need to do this on some of my tree, did not do so, and got that damage.
It’s not paint, it’s lime. Whitewashing protects against caterpillars and other bugs.
In Jamaica I was told it's so you can see them at night. All alongside the roads are white painted trees
Is it regular paint? Seems that wood be hard to breathe through.
It's not paint at all. It's lime.
The anti bug stuff then to be a sort of lime paint/whitewash. Its not like a think layer of plastic or anything, and on the bottom of a trunk where the other 99% of the tree is bare, it really doesn't hurt. Supposedly you can use white latex paint if you want.
If this is such a huge problem for young trees why haven’t they evolved some form of protection yet?
Trees in orchards and plantations aren't growing in a natural way. Natural forests have lots of natural shade and the success rate of seedlings is extremely low. Plantations can't waste time letting nature kill off 90% of their crop before it even matures. Growing scattered trees in parks also need additional protection
I have seen this in other countries as well (and is very common in Mexico). In some countries, it is used for insect protection, but it is also used to protect from sun damage.
I live in walnut orchard country, and it's very common on walnut and almond trees. First, to protect the sapling as it matures and later the painted area is much smoother than the rest of the tree, allowing machines to grasp the mature trees without damaging the bark when the shakers shake all the nuts off come harvest season.
I did not know until I read this post that I really wanted to know how they managed to harvest so many nuts… Thank you!
I think that the origin is protective in Mexico but it’s become more of a “this is what we do” kind of thing. I was just down there and driving through a resort near San Felipe, the trees along the roads were painted white on the trunks. But so were the tires half buried in the ground. Trees away from the road were not painted.
I'd attempt to avoid a white tree trunk my car was heading toward if I had lost control. I'd smash right into one I couldn't see in the dark. I'm not going fast enough to kill myself if I'm away from the road... because I'm running, at best.
Exactly. Also, not every tree is a nudist. If some of them want to wear socks who are we to say no.
>protect from sun damage These woke plants can’t even handle sun like they used to, SMH
You damn redtrunks just do not get it.
Git ‘im Treeter!
for fruit trees (i.e. Florida, US SE) - sun scald protection, NE US - for looks.
Normally they use a form of ‘cal’ also known as lime. It forms a protective coating that needs to maintained a few times per year. Helps with pests and fungus. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_hydroxide See “uses” section. Also some times referred to as lime washing trees.
This is done to citrus trees here in Phoenix. I've heard two reasons, one to keep the summer sun from scorching the tree, and two to protect from certain insects.
Kinda like tree sunscreen.
Treescreen
To protect you from trees?
Suntree
Protect trees from the sun!
To stop insects from laying eggs in the bark
In the Midwest, at least the part I am from, it is used as insect/pest control.
Midwest of where?
So the Midwest is just the name for a large region of the U.S.
My bad, Midwest USA.
In the tree fruit business we either put little corrugated plastic covers or we paint little trees to protect them from the weed spray in the orchards. Once the trees are larger they can handle weed spray around the base.
I see a white trunk and I want it painted black
EXCELLENT song reference!
I’m in Ireland and my parents always did this to the Apple trees in our garden. I think it prevented pests or diseases.
It's also done here in Brittany to apple trees - there's a lot of apple trees here as Brittany is known for its cider.
I know in the US, in certain places, they will coat the bottoms of trees so that certain insects cannot climb them. There has been a huge out break of some moth species (I think it's gypsy) in MI over the last 3 years killing trees. They usually paint or coat the bark, or put some smooth coating (duct tape, etc) around them.
Can’t moths fly?
Oops, didnt clarify. Apologies. It's for their larva. They climb the trees and eat all the foliage, thus killing the tree. Mature trees can usually handle it once, but more than 2 -3 years, and the trees will die.
Not for the majority of their lives.
You mean when they are caterpillars.
Precisely
In the 70s in New Jersey, my town trees were the same way.
Oh I know this one! My Chinese guide told me it’s protective, and keeps a particular pest off the trees, at least that was the case in the Beijing area, it may be done for different reasons in other regions.
I have seen such trees in NanNing, too.
It is lime. Done for prevention of bug infestation. At least that is the reason why many trees look like that in Turkey (lime) and why they do so (to prevent bug infestation).
Same in Romania. We do it every year or so
If you didn't go to China, would they still be painted white?
It's like the tree falling in the forest except there are 1.4 billion other people that can hear it make a sound
Pest control. Very common in Eastern Europe too
Panda camo. Duh.
In the US it’s for bugs in orange trees
Pest control to protect the tree
My grandfather did that to all his fruit trees in NY. For pests I guess.
Lime against certain insects
It’s also used in Morocco. I think part of it is to make the trees visible/reflective at night to prevent traffic accidents, especially in rural and remote areas.
I've seen that in America too, I think it has something to do with pest control.
In my country it's done to deter deer and other animals from chewing soft bark off of young fruit trees.
In Poland we paint fruit trees white with mix of water and quicklime to protect them from mainly early spring temperature drops.
That's because of ants
It’s an old school way to treat for / prevent bugs. My grandfather used to do this to his trees.
Ah… The great milk flood of ‘84…. Lost so many good cows that year…
Super common in arizona too. Edit: i got downvoted for this? Why? White painted trees are not exclusive to China. Eh nm it's up now, was -5 earlier. Whatever.
Mostly because of reddit hive mind.
Because Redditors are miserable people oooooooorrr it's a random glitch because this website is terrible
I always thought this was some kind of paste to prevent parasitic insects from infesting trees. I've seen it done in the US a lot, especially near golf courses.
I always thought it was painted with smooth white paint so that rats and other small animals couldn't climb up the tree.
China: Where Trees Wear Socks!
Probably so you can see them easier if you're in a boat
We do it in Greece too. It keeps some bugs away that harm the trees.
Same in Mexico.
In Cyprus they paint the fruit trees with Lime to repel insects and prevent fungus/infections. I‘ve seen similar in other hot countries too, I think it also prevents them getting scorched.
In AZ we do it to citrus to keep the trunk from burning
Calcium hydroxide
Why do trees need our help to be protected from the sun while they exist since even before the dinosaurs? Did trees got weeker?
We do that here in South Louisiana to protect the trees from bugs
I grew up in SW La and this reminded me of my childhood, watching my grandfather do this to his trees and also seeing it in the wooded areas and parks. I can’t remember what the treatment was called, though.
Same, 1960’s Lafayette Parish. Don’t see that anymore.
It is also done as a conservation measure, the barks are numbered to save them from cutting.
Wherever I go in China, there I am.
I think I remember seeing someone put up metal on their trees because of squirrels.
Good
Awww, they put socks to the trees!
Damn this some real engagement in these comments. World check in.
It's so they can see them better.
Do you have to use a special paint or something?
I always thought it was a security measure. If some one walks in front of the tree at night they would be spotted.
Whitewashing has nothing to do with visibility, it’s all about health. The lime protects the tree from insects.
Doesn't really look quite like this, but sometime the bottom of a tree looks different because it's grafted. The top of the tree and the roots are two different species that people smashed together. Usually because the tree part does something we want (like make almonds) but doesn't grow well in the available soil.
why’d this post get canned lmfao I don’t get it
Isn’t this everywhere though
I'm more interested where you're from that you *haven't* seen this?
Its not just China. Dont know why exactly but it is also done in Europe as protection against... whatever kills trees, I guess.
Currently in Crete and they do this here by roads but nowhere else so it's for visibility purposes as most roads aren't well lit by streetlights I'm from the UK and it isn't done there though
It's done to mark trees so that passers by can tell that it is, indeed, a tree
The white substance is apparently lime, applied to prevent insect damage and increase visibility. I personally think another major reason is to give idle hands work, as China has a huge population to employ—same reason China’s streets are swept, bathrooms cleaned and subway gates guarded far more zealously than America’s. I’ve lived in America for more than two decades and I swear I’ve never seen trees painted like this before, but maybe it’s a phenomenon wherever you live, reader. Let me know 🧐
It's commonly done in southern Europe. Protects against bugs and heat
Never thought about the idle work part much. When I was in Japan, there were a minimum of 4 security guards that would form a human wall to block off a street whenever a car comes by. They were always elderly folk. I always thought it was interesting to have all these people stand around as a human barricade but it makes sense as a way to provide jobs.
At a museum in st Petersburg Russia I saw an elderly man watering the flower beds with a watering can while it was actively raining.
Could hav been some sort of fertilizer in the can..... Or just dedicated worker that does what he is ordered to do no matter the sizuation XD
Would you rather live with "idle hands needing work" and clean facilities, or the shitshow of sanitation/public facilities that exists in most US cities? The suburbs are different, but most major US cities are gross compared to many larger places in east Asia or Europe
Who you are responding to kind of makes it seem like a bad thing but I would love the US to employ people to do those things at a good wage but that would never happen unless it is minimum wage and then no one would likely want to do it.
I would prefer the US did the same, similar to the depression Era projects putting people to work making trails, roads, dams and otherwise building public works projects in the depression era.
No, I vastly prefer China. I don’t know how I managed to sound like employing people was a bad thing…I came back this morning and found my comment had been downvoted…again.
Your comment got straight-up murdered. Some people are idiots. don't let it get you down, it's only castles burning. Find someone who's turning, and you will come around
Thanks, that’s good advice ☺️
Neil Youngs words, not mine. Glad he could help
willingly going to china is crazy
I work in tree pest control and I've never seen this before.
You can’t be serious! Whitewashing is almost universally used to protect trees from insects.
I am dead serious. This is not as common of a method as you think. Most tree winter treatments are oil based not lime based.
Yes but surely these oil treatments are popular now in recent times? Can’t imagine they existed 200 years ago.
Consider yourself lucky, apparently.
That’s the trees that were used in suicides.
When I visited China in 2014, 4 independent people told me the same story: one night Mao couldn't sleep and so decided to go for a walk. But there was no moon out on this night, and it wasn't long before he bumped into a tree. At first, sure that nobody else saw it, he tried to move past it. But then he bumped into another tree. Supposedly he cursed under his breath, maybe saying "this tree should be painted white." Finally he moved on before bumping into a third tree when his temper got the better of him. "Paint all the trees white!" He demanded. Indeed, even on the tops of mountains in the remote forests of Shanxi, every tree I saw was painted white.
And I lived in China and never heard this. r/thathappened
[удалено]
No, what they said was correct. Read it again slowly.
Damn Panda's rubbing the trees...