Mysterious Fake Cellphone Towers Are Intercepting Calls All Over The US

[bananas]

40. A lot of them are disguised as trees - seriously!

Google cell phone tower evergreen tree for lots of pictures - there's a wide variety:
https://www.google.com/search?q=cell+phone+tower+evergreen+tree&tbm=isch

Many local governments require them to be disguised for aesthetics:

http://www.journalnow.com/news/local/council-oks-cell-tower-rules/article_dc771bd3-a733-5210-bb8f-3ccefbf97ad8.html

Council OKs cell tower rules
Will protect some trees in residential areas

A cell phone tower disguised with artificial evergreen branches, is surrounded by pine and deciduous trees near Tanglewood Park.

Posted: Tuesday, September 2, 2014 10:30 pm
Wesley Young/Winston-Salem Journal

<snip>

Cell towers are getting more common because of the popularity of devices that rely on them, and in February the council approved new rules to allow cell towers in residential neighborhoods.

Then officials realized there was a hole in the rules: While there was a requirement to place cell towers that look like trees in wooded areas only, there was no requirement that the trees had to be kept standing.

Kirk Ericson, with the City-County planning staff, said the new rules require trees to remain in a circular area around a cell tower that has a radius as long as the tower is tall.

<snip>

Here's one disguised as a cactus:

http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/11-25-2012_the-unaesthetic-american-cell-tower.htm

The Unaesthetic American Cell Tower
Ma Bell's Children Are Philistines
By: Mark Favermann - 11/25/2012