Ideas
Explore the world's #1 largest database of ideas and innovations, with 476,093 inspiring examples.
Trend Reports
Discover why 1,281 brands rely on our AI-powered Trend Reports to get better, faster insights.
Newsletter
Join 304,534 subscribers who rely on our weekly newsletter to keep up with need-to-know trends and insights.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Consumer Insights
Uncover major shifts and emerging opportunities with our exclusive PRO research.
Trend Reports
Discover why 1,281 brands rely on our AI-powered Trend Reports to get better, faster insights.
Newsletter
Join 304,534 subscribers who rely on our weekly newsletter to keep up with need-to-know trends and insights.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Advisory & Services
Accelerate innovation and ignite disruptive thinking with our award-winning programs and research.
Trend Reports
Get fast, customized trend reports, presentations and deep dives 20x faster than traditional research.
Plans
Get started today with a free consultation, our self-serve tools, or a dedicated program.
Articles & Magazine
Get inspired with our 4,229 innovation strategy articles, keynote, videos and innovation tools.
Innovation Awards
Trend Hunter’s Innovation Strategy Awards recognize the best innovation tactics gathered from our interviews with some of the world's most notable business leaders, authors and change makers.
Advisory & Services
Accelerate innovation and ignite disruptive thinking with our award-winning programs and research.
Innovation Assessment
Enhance your innovation potential with a deeper understanding of your unique innovation archetype and how your organization benchmarks.
FuturistU
Prepare for the years ahead with 100+ lessons, tactics, tools and frameworks with our full learning database.
Innovation Books
Join 20,000,000 people getting better and faster with our New York Times Bestselling books and keynote videos.
Jeremy Gutsche
Ignite your event or virtual event with our CEO, a NY Times Bestselling Author and one of the top innovation keynote speakers.
Our Team of Speakers & Virtual Presenters
Inspire your group with our most popular speakers on innovation, trends, change and futurism.
Custom Training & Events
Bring the Future Festival experience directly to your team or co-hosted custom event.
Custom Masterclasses
Join the world's leading brands who leverage our custom programs to accelerate innovation.
FuturistU 5-Day Program
Become a Futurist with our immersive 5-Day program at Future Festival World Summit.
Online eLearning
Learn the fundamentals of futurism and trends with 100+ online courses about innovation.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Contact
Get in touch to learn more, ask a question or submit a tip.
About Us
Learn more about Trend Hunter and how we accelerate innovation.
Follow-Us
Join our 3,500,000 social media followers, on the cutting edge.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
FAQ
Get answers to common questions about Trend Hunter.
Community
Stay on the cutting-edge with the help of the Trend Hunter community.
Team
Meet the team trusted by hundreds of leading businesses worldwide.
Jobs
Find opportunities to accelerate your career with the #1 Trend Firm.
News
Catch up on noteworthy Trend Hunter news and media mentions.
Join
Build a portfolio and put your trend-spotting abilities to the test.
Advertising
Supercharge your marketing by partnering with Trend Hunter.
Portfolio
Visit your public portfolio and browse your past articles.
Add a Trend
Write up an article and showcase your trend-spotting skills.
My Trends
Edit your articles and see how they stack up on the leaderboards.
Settings
Edit your profile, connect your social media accounts, and more.
Add a trend, customize your dashboard, or track topics.
Future Festival
Innovation Events
Join the world's top innovators at our in person events.
Free Webinars
Learn to innovate through chaos, navigate the new normal and maintain work culture from home.
Custom Training & Events
Bring the Future Festival experience directly to your team or co-hosted custom event.
Search our database of 476,093 cutting edge ideas.

Trees to Hide Tech

Clean the Sky - Positive Eco Trends & Breakthroughs

Stealthy Wireless Equipment Disguises Preserve Community Decorum

— January 7, 2009 — Eco
Fake tree installations to camouflage wireless communication and Wi-Fi towers are preferred by many communities. Some of the solutions are elegant and some are downright pathetic.

Logging is big business where I’m from. The law says that a strip of trees has to be left near roads that transverse logging areas. The loggers refer to them as “idiot strips,” since they are a sort of trompe l’oeil for the ignorant. It seems the general concept of fooling the eye of the uninformed is universal.

Most of the camouflage shown in the gallery above consists of big plastic-coated towers with fake branches attached to them. Some are more realistic than others. Some appear to have contracted plastic tree diseases, but they all seem a bit lacking when compared to the real thing.

It reminds me of the Forest Service’s attempts to hide the fact that Mt. St. Helen’s had erupted by painting the freshly exploded rocks on the roadsides to look ‘old.’

Go figure.

Some of the camouflage in the video above is more convincing; some, is downright elaborate, even attractive. I’m not sure what I think of all the effort being expended to keep things from looking like what they are, but it sure is interesting!

Photo Credit:1-6|7-10
Trend Themes
1. Fake Tree Installations - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop more realistic and visually appealing fake tree installations to effectively camouflage wireless communication and Wi-Fi towers.
2. Camouflage Technology - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Explore advanced camouflage technology to create seamless disguises for wireless equipment, preserving community decorum.
3. Urban Aesthetic Preservation - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Design wireless communication and Wi-Fi towers that blend seamlessly with the urban environment, maintaining an attractive urban aesthetic.
Industry Implications
1. Wireless Communication - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop innovative solutions to camouflage wireless communication equipment, catering to community preferences and preserving aesthetics.
2. Telecommunications - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create novel camouflage techniques for telecommunication infrastructure to seamlessly blend with natural surroundings without compromising functionality.
3. Urban Planning - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Integrate deceptive technology and camouflage solutions into urban planning strategies to maintain community decorum while meeting connectivity needs.
5.2
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness