The trees were under commie control for over 45 years, I can only assume they were unaware the swastika was there; otherwise they would have been cut down long before Dec. 2000.
The trees are larch trees, which are coniferous trees, but they turn golden in the fall and lose their needles. In other words, the only time you see them is in the fall. Nonetheless, they were very visible from the air during that time of the year. Why the Soviets did not cut the trees down earlier is of course an interesting question. Western Germans were far more concerned about it than the Soviets. Why? Because it reveals western environmental fascism.