Outdoor Ad Industry Accused of Poisoning Trees to Make Way for Billboards

Criminal probe begins in Florida

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Breaking the law is unsustainable as a long-term marketing strategy. To wit: the improper or illegal defoliation of stretches of highway designed to give billboards maximum visibility. The controversy is branching out, driven by press coverage—like FairWarning's exhaustive and compelling exposé—of a Florida whistleblower lawsuit brought by Robert Barnhart, who claims he was canned by Lamar Advertising after he stopped obeying orders to poison roadside trees. (Guess he turned over a new leaf.) Chris Oaks, Barnhart's former supervisor, corroborated the story in a deposition, claiming he too poisoned trees for Lamar.

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