I admit, I've become hyper-sensitized to seeing the slightest bit of survey tape on stakes, trees, iron pipes, etc. on the roadside and in the woods.
Some locations show a single band of tape on a pipe or stake; Some have two; and some have three. Never seen more than three.
So, is there rhyme or reason to this? One band for an inconsequential pin on a line? Two for an intersection of two lines? Three for a significant corner? Or is this just completely at the whim of the surveyor?
Back in the day I worked for a Party Chief that was color blind. He made us tie two set of flags on all control points one at the top the other half way down, benchmarks had one tied in the middle - number above the flag with the elevation below the ribbon.
Funny thing is I will pass sticks around town tied like this every now and then- good to think he is still working. Or like me, he taught someone something and they are passing it on.
There is usually a reason 😉
Whim and/or local custom.
I used to do a lot of work in rural Frederick & Washington Counties in Maryland and it was the local custom to use three bands of orange flagging on trees adjacent to property corners. Deeper in the woods we would use three hacks painted orange.
Pretty much the same in the Eastern Panhandle of WV
Like others have said, I was taught that 3 bands of ribbon were for property corners. Same thing if you saw 3 blazes on a tree.
