Ah, the forest. Green leaves, rich brown underbrush, purple tree trunks. Wait, purple tree trunks? That's not natural! Yet, you'll find plenty of them around forests in several states. What gives?
It all started in Arkansas in 1989. The state government passed a law allowing landowners to paint trees and fences purple on the border of their property. This was an alternative to putting up a fence or 'No Trespassing' sign.
In 1997, government officials introduced the law to Texas.
"They were trying to keep landowners from constantly having to replace signs," says Jonathan Kennedy, owner of a Texas real estate company. "In Texas as we know, people like to take target practice at signs so they are having to replace them frequently."
Maine, North Carolina, Missouri, Florida and Kansas soon followed suit. Universally, the purple marks must be:
Image: KETK
According to the Independent Journal Review, legislators likely chose purple because, well, it stands out. Another potential reason is that purple is visible even to colorblind people.
In other states, like Idaho, Montana and Arizona the color of choice is orange.
- Vertical
- A minimum of 8 inches long
- A minimum of 1 inch wide
- Easily visible by those approaching the property
Why Purple?
Image: KETK
