Counting Trees & Making Bike Detours

I was unlocking my bike after church and noticed these numbers on the trees. H. told me that the Forstamt (Forrest Office) numbers all the trees in Hannover after the trunks reach a certain thickness. He also told me that when the church had a backhoe here, the Forstamt gave them a big fine for disturbing the roots, but the firm they hired to inspect didn't do it right, and this tree was actually fine. The church protested, and the Forstamt apologized and refunded the fine. H. said that people are quick to cut down trees before the trunks reach the specified thickness (if there is any chance the tree might need to be removed) to prevent it entering the Forstamt's inventory. So the city office that created the wonderful Eilenriede urban forest, the green lungs of Hannover, has become a petty bureaucracy.

Tree # 036

There is a lot of construction in town, but, instead of ignoring bicycles and pedestrians, Hannover makes detours especially for bikes. Sometimes they even provide a temporary asphalt ramp if the detour involves crossing a curb. I remember when Claremont redid some sidewalks in the Village, the city made detours for the cars, but pedestrians and bikes just had to fend for themselves. I would love to see American cities become this bike-friendly. Here's one detour we encountered Sunday morning.

Bike Detour