Why paint red lines on trees?
Recently, a piece of news about “painting red lines on trees” triggered widespread discussion. Many netizens have discovered that trees in the city have been painted with red marks. What is this for? This article will combine the hot topics and hot content on the Internet in the past 10 days to reveal the reasons behind this phenomenon and present relevant data in a structured way.
1. The truth about painting red lines on trees

Painting red lines on trees is not a random act, but a professional operation performed by the forestry department or garden management unit. Here are some common reasons:
| reason | illustrate |
|---|---|
| Pest and disease control labels | Red marks usually indicate that the tree is infected with a disease or insect pest and requires intensive monitoring or treatment. |
| Cutting or pruning plan | Trees marked with red bars may be included in the felling or pruning list to avoid accidental damage to healthy trees. |
| Research or census mark | Foresters may sample trees for survey, and red bars are used to distinguish trees that have been tested. |
| Windproof and sand fixation project | In ecologically fragile areas, red bars may represent trees being included in windbreak and sand fixation protection projects. |
2. Summary of hotly discussed opinions across the network
In the past 10 days, discussions on this topic on social media and news platforms have mainly focused on the following aspects:
| platform | Popular opinions | Discussion popularity |
|---|---|---|
| “Do red-bar trees affect the beauty of the city?” | 120 million reads | |
| Tik Tok | “Reveal the truth behind red lines, 90% of people don’t know!” | 5 million+ likes |
| Zhihu | "Analysis of the necessity of tree marking from an ecological perspective" | Number of answers: 1200+ |
| WeChat public account | "Don't get me wrong! Painting red stripes on trees is to protect them." | 100,000+ retweets |
3. Expert interpretation and public suggestions
In response to public doubts, forestry experts gave an authoritative explanation:
1.Red bar paint is environmentally friendly and harmless: The coatings used are usually environmentally friendly materials and will not affect the growth of trees.
2.Tag standardization management: Different colors represent different meanings, and red is mostly used for urgent or key processing objects.
3.Public Participation Suggestions: If you find abnormalities in tree markings (such as a large number of dead trees that have not been treated), you can provide feedback through the municipal hotline.
4. Comparison of tree markings at home and abroad
Tree marking is not unique to China. Similar practices are practiced in many places around the world:
| Country/Region | Marking method | Main purpose |
|---|---|---|
| USA | blue spray paint | Forest fire isolation belt sign |
| Japan | yellow ribbon | Protection of ancient and valuable trees |
| Germany | metal sign | Tree age and species records |
| China | red paint | Comprehensive management (pests/diseases/logging, etc.) |
5. How to view this phenomenon correctly?
1.Understand the rationale for professional operations: Tree marking is a manifestation of scientific management, not "destruction of nature".
2.Pay attention to the progress of subsequent processing: Usually there will be specific measures within 1-3 months after marking and continuous observation.
3.Raise awareness of ecological protection: If you encounter unmarked abnormal trees (such as wormholes and fungi), you can also proactively report them.
Through the structured analysis of this article, it can be seen that behind "painting red lines on trees" is a complete forestry management system. The next time we see these red marks, we may have more understanding and less confusion.
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