TUCSON, Ariz. — Next time you drive past an evergreen or a palm tree, or maybe a grain silo or a water tower, take a closer look. That might be a camouflaged cell phone tower you're seeing.
That penthouse facade atop a downtown city building? A saguaro cactus in Arizona? Them, too.
It's just the Tucson-based Larson Co. working its fabricating wizardry.
Larson, which pioneered realistic artificial rock formations, waterfalls, animal habitats and seascapes a quarter-century ago for zoos, museums, parks and aquariums, produced its first camouflaged and trademarked Tree Pole in 1992 for a wireless carrier.
It has since built about 300 "tree" towers of varying heights nationwide, as well as other structures to conceal cellular transmission and receiving antennas.
"We do our job well when they don't know that it's there," said Andrew Messing, the company's president and chief executive.
Utility camouflage is still a relatively small division for Larson, accounting for about 15 percent of the privately held company's business. It currently employs about 200 people full time, with annual sales in the $20 million range.
"But in terms of growth rate, it's probably growing faster than any other area that we have," said Messing.
The reason for that can be found in the wireless phone industry, where competition has pushed carriers to dramatically increase their infrastructure, he said.
"As a result, more and more communities are seeing these towers sprouting up, and have been objecting to what they consider to be visual pollution," Messing said.
That's produced a greater need for concealment, and some cities are requiring that new cell towers be camouflaged, he said.
Tower Ventures of Memphis, Tenn., which builds and subleases cell towers to carriers, has two Larson-camouflaged pine trees in Memphis and one in the suburb of Germantown.
"We're very happy," said owner Billy Orgel. "They do nice work."
One tree, a 130-foot tall tower, has antennas for six cellular carriers attached. Tree branches made of fiberglass wrap around and disguise the antennas without degrading their signals.
Another "tree" was a compromise with neighbors, zoning officials and landowners, he said.
The steel pine tree poles weigh about 1,000 pounds, are covered with a bark of ultraviolet-resistant epoxy and can withstand temperatures from 150 degrees to minus-50 and winds of up to 100 mph.
Costs range from $20,000 to more than $100,000, Messing said.
Still, it doesn't always work out.
Earlier this year, the affluent Seattle suburb of Redmond was threatened with court action by three telecommunications firms after requiring them to disguise a cell tower as an evergreen tree, which the city had contacted Larson about.
Through mediation, Redmond and the companies settled on a 100-foot pole painted green, with all cables and antennas inside.
However, planning official Judd Black said that in talking to other cities, he learned the company's work has been well-received.
Messing said people living near tower sites prefer something that looks like a tree rather than a steel pole with antennas coming off it.
"We really do try to build them so that they blend into the natural environment," said Messing. "So I think the communities are really embracing it."
Among Larson's latest projects is producing a half-dozen museum-quality trees for an affluent, scenic community, which the company won't identify.
Business development director Steve Meyer said that means the base of each tree must look like a real tree trunk, rather than having the typical industry-standard clearly visible anchor-bolt assembly, with only the top shape of the antennas hidden.
"They want museum quality to the ground, down to the roots," he said.
Messing said the company appreciates the challenge of creating a product that people will have a hard time distinguishing from the real thing.
"If there's a way to improve the community's cellular communications but do it in a way where it doesn't really affect the natural beauty of the environment, then it's a win-win for everybody," he said.