In cities and towns across the world, something strange is happening to the trees. Their leaves are turning patchy and pale. Branches are drying out. Some trees seem lopsided, with one side healthier than the other.
Look a little closer, and there’s often a common feature nearby—cell phone towers.
As the demand for wireless communication keeps growing, these towers are popping up in neighborhoods, on rooftops, and in open fields. They help power everything from texting your friends to watching videos. But researchers are beginning to wonder—what if there’s a cost we haven’t fully considered?
“It’s Always the Side Facing the Tower”
In Bamberg and Hallstadt, Germany, scientists spent years tracking what was happening to trees in areas with mobile phone masts. The result was a pattern that was hard to ignore. Trees near towers showed unusual damage—browning leaves, crown thinning, even entire branches dying off—and the side of the tree facing the tower always looked worse.
A 2016 study published in Science of the Total Environment stated: “Statistical analysis demonstrated that electromagnetic radiation from mobile phone masts is harmful for trees.”
It wasn’t a one-off finding either. The researchers examined 120 trees, over ten years. Damage was more common, more severe, and more directional—exactly where you’d expect if radiation were involved.
A Forest in Trouble, One Tree at a Time
Back in 2003, a group of researchers in Romania noticed something odd about black locust seedlings growing near RF sources. These young trees weren’t making as much chlorophyll—the green pigment plants use to make food from sunlight. Leaves lost their vibrant color, turning blotchy and pale.
“Microwave exposure at 400 MHz reduced chlorophyll content,” the researchers wrote.
That might not sound dramatic—but chlorophyll is to a tree what oxygen is to us. Without enough of it, the tree can’t photosynthesize properly. It can’t feed itself. It weakens.
The Missing Growth
If trees near towers look sick, many of them also grow slower—or just stop growing altogether.
One experiment by the University of Western Ontario looked at aspen seedlings. Two groups were raised: one exposed to radiofrequency fields similar to those from phone towers, and one shielded from them. The difference was striking.
Aspens not exposed to RF grew 74% more shoot length and 60% larger leaves. In short: fewer signals, more trees.
Dr. Katie Haggerty, who led the study, called the results “unexpected” but consistent. She later explained: “The exposed seedlings were smaller and less developed. They had more signs of stress and lower biomass.”
What’s worse, this isn’t just happening to trees that are already grown. Seeds and saplings, the next generation of forests, are showing signs of poor germination and stunted root growth when exposed to similar conditions.
Something Deeper Is Going On
What we see on the outside—faded leaves, bare crowns, weak branches—may only be part of the story. Inside the cells of these trees, scientists believe more subtle damage is taking place.
Plants, like animals, respond to stress. When conditions turn harsh—too much heat, drought, or radiation—they fight back. But chronic stress builds up. Over time, it can overwhelm their defenses.
RF radiation seems to trigger this kind of response. It may increase the production of something called reactive oxygen species, or ROS—unstable molecules that can damage DNA, proteins, and cell membranes. In large amounts, they lead to oxidative stress, and that can cripple a plant’s ability to function.
A 2023 study published in Ecological Indicators concluded: “Numerous studies on plants have shown that wireless communication microwave radiation can affect their growth and development, gene expression and various metabolic activities.”
Long-Term Exposure, Long-Term Consequences?
In Spain, biologist Alfonso Balmori has been sounding the alarm for years. He’s walked through parks and woods, photographing damage, tracking changes, and publishing reports. He believes this isn’t just bad luck or bad weather—it’s a warning sign.
In one of his guides on tree damage near RF sources, Balmori writes: “The damage increases over the years and spreads from the direction of the RF transmitter across the crown. No regeneration can be seen.”
In other words: trees don’t bounce back. Once the damage sets in, it stays.
Not Just Trees—But a Bigger Question
What does this mean for the forests? The city parks? The trees lining streets, growing in schoolyards, or shading your backyard?
Most researchers aren’t ready to say definitively that cell towers are killing trees. But many now agree—something is happening. And that “something” seems connected to how much electromagnetic radiation those trees are being exposed to.
With wireless infrastructure expanding rapidly—5G towers, smart meters, Wi-Fi boosters—it’s clear we need more than just better signal strength. We need answers.
And in the meantime, we might want to start paying closer attention to the trees. They may already be telling us more than we realize.
