Map with public fruit trees
Online maps of public fruit trees and foraging spots are inspiring people to harvest food that would otherwise rot, but they also raise worries about overexploitation, sanitation, pests, and conflicts with property owners. Commenters share examples from cities worldwide, contrasting places where fruit is plentiful and socially shared with areas where homeowners’ associations, aesthetics, pollution concerns, or “professional” pickers limit access. Others explore how to build such maps with tools like OpenStreetMap and Leaflet, and whether keeping locations semi-obscure better protects local, community-oriented use.
Alternative Maps and Tools
- Multiple similar projects mentioned: FallingFruit, Fruitmap, Fruktkartan (Sweden), local maps for Toronto, Edmonton, Stanford area, Czech sites, etc.
- Some cities publish open tree datasets; others have active foraging clubs.
- iNaturalist is cited as another large, related resource.
UX and Technical Aspects
- Complaint that every map interaction pushes a new browser history entry, breaking the back button.
- Technical notes: using OSM tiles with Leaflet, querying OSM via Overpass, loading into a DB, serving as GeoJSON, and overlaying custom POIs without pushing data back into OSM.
Cultural Differences in Foraging
- In parts of Europe/Estonia/Russia, picking wild fruit and mushrooms is normal; maps feel unnecessary where foraging is common and access is easy.
- In places like Crete, certain fig trees are traditionally treated as public snacks for travelers.
- Many anecdotes of childhood foraging, community access, and front-yard plantings intended for public use.
Sanitation, Pests, and Pollution
- In US cities, opposition to fruit trees is linked to rotting fruit, perceived mess, stains on cars/sidewalks, and attraction of rats, raccoons, wasps, hornets, etc.
- Others argue fallen fruit decomposes and feeds soil and wildlife.
- Concerns about urban soil contamination (e.g., industrial legacy, traffic pollution); some say this makes urban fruit unsafe, others note commercial orchards also have historical toxic use.
Overharvesting and “Tragedy of the Commons”
- Repeated reports of groups coming with buckets/ladders to strip trees bare, sometimes damaging branches, leaving nothing for locals or wildlife.
- Fears that maps amplify this behavior and attract “professionals” or resellers.
- Counterpoint: better systematic harvest for human food (especially via community or charitable projects) than letting fruit rot or feed rats.
Legal and Ethical Considerations
- Discussion of “mundraub” (minor theft) in Germany and similar concepts; legal vs tolerated picking on public land is nuanced and context-dependent.
- Reminder that overhanging private plants are not automatically public property.
- Debate over whether preventing abuse justifies restricting information, versus planting more and designing systems to cope.