If You See a White Circle on a Tree, the Clock is Ticking

You might not even notice it, but there is an entire color-coded system marking trees along the trails you hike in the woods.

One of those colors signal an extremely important warning when it comes to wildlife in the area.

Warning Colors On Trees

The U.S. Forest Service developed its color-coded system to help warn hikers of potential dangers to themselves and others in the woods. For example, a tree with the color red painted on it means the land belongs to the U.S. Forest Service.

Red on trees serves as a warning to those passing by that they are trespassing. It also helps reduce potential timber theft.

Other colors aren't quite as serious, but are still worth knowing if you're the outdoorsy type. Both blue and yellow are used to represent that a tree is scheduled to be chopped down.

There is one color, however, that you should always been looking for no matter where you're hiking.

What Does A White Circle On A Tree Mean?

One of the color warnings that should be considered to be more on the serious end of the system is white.

GardenKnowHow.com put together a list of all of the colors and their meanings. When it came to white, the website said to specifically look for a "white circle."

A white circle means "the tree houses an animal or bird that is endangered."

READ MORE: If You See Red Paint On A Tree, You Need To Leave In A Hurry

The white circle helps let hikers know they should keep their distance from the tree in order to not disturb the creature's habitat. It also lets those managing the wooded area know they should avoid removing the tree.

But really, you should probably leave all of the trees alone anyway and just enjoy the scenery.