It is well known that people stumble through the world almost blindly. Even if someone has a perspective, he is only presented with a sad part of reality. Cats see ten times more clearly with their eyes. Frogs and even shrimps have a lot better than Homo sapiens. And while Little Red Riding Hood gets hopelessly lost in the forest and ends up with the wolf, birds in the forest head for their nests even in the dark. But humans are not stupid. He diligently paints signs and thinks up wondrous signs.
Foresters and forest workers have perfected this. Since the beginning of October they have been out and about with spray cans and painting trees. A number of avenue trees between Feldmoching and Unterschleißheim are now marked with red dots, which many tree protectors follow with suspicion. Because the time has come again when, according to the Nature Conservation Act, “maintenance measures” are permitted on trees. That means: trees can be felled from October to February. Many fear that ruthless forest workers could cut down trees that are worth protecting. And not without good reason. It happens again and again that contractors create facts in a few hours on behalf of an investor. Old trees are then perdu. Anger follows immediately.
Progress is made if it is marked at all. Next it would be helpful to understand what the markings mean. That’s not that easy. Because different symbols have been introduced from region to region and from authority to authority. Julia Borasch from the Aschheim forest district sprays horizontal lines on diseased trees that are about to be felled. In the forest, for example, the harvester driver can see this much better than a point. A wavy line means: worth protecting. There is a real sign language of the foresters. In some areas a curved “M” stands for “Methuselah tree”, which must be preserved. An “H” stands for habitat tree. For example, there is a woodpecker at home there. The forester cannot help at the point on the state road. The environmental office in the Oberschleißheim town hall only suspects that it will not mean anything good. The state building authority in Freising is of course responsible. A point there means that the tree is “in need of care”, which can be a pruning of branches. A felling is announced according to the authorities with an “X”.
Points, lines and arrows pointing up or down: tree painting with screaming bright colors can also take over. Signposts are often sprayed onto trees. Forest owners tell buyers on felled trunks which wood quality they find or which stack of firewood goes to which buyer. The “forest poet” even identifies regional dialects in the forester graffiti on his blog. Artistically experienced workers conjure up woodpeckers on the bark with just a few strokes. Of course, the bird finds its home this way too.