The following are strictly personal views/observations and in no way reflect the views of the Peace Corp nor the federal government of the United States.

Moldavians paint the bottom three feet of tree trunk white on all the trees located in neighborhood zones.

The paint used is not high quality sealant but a thin white wash which is applied in several coats to achieve a white tone.

I have asked many people in Moldova what the purpose of the white paint is and I have found that there are three standards answers to this question:

Answer one: “I have no idea, we just do it.” (I have a feeling this is the correct answer)

Answer two: “To protect the tree from bugs.” (I question the validity of this answer
considering bugs can gain access to trees through one of the many feet above the bottom three painted feet; additionally, the paint doesn’t seal the tree it just colors it thus I think bugs can bore through the paint)

Answer three: “Its more beautiful with the bottom painted white.” (I think they are
attempting to attain a look similar to that of birch trees; however, I don’t understand why they do not simply plant birches)

They take tree painting so seriously that they paint white the bottom three feet of other things in the vicinity of trees. For example, if there is a telephone pole near a tree, they paint the bottom of the telephone pole white for the sake of homogeneity.