Once a player starts a game with standard exploration settings the whole map is unexplored. The only thing that player can see is what their starting units see. Once the player scouts the map they create the “fog of war” which enables them to see the map at the moment of when one of their units was scouting the area.
The fog of war registers everything besides units and buildings that are in a process of creation (the foundation of that building is constructed after the scouting unit leaves the area).
You could say that the fog of war freezes time for buildings and resources.
So why trees specifically (but not any other resource) change the form through the fog of war? I don’t believe it was ever intensional and I bet the reason it was never fixed is that there was not enough request in this regard.
This is exploited most often on maps like Acropolis where one of the players can immediately recognize where the enemy is collecting wood downhill after having scouted the map before but never actively deciding to scout the area.
In my opinion it’s an exploit that rewards passive gameplay.
Something that makes the game less exciting to play and less entertaining to watch.
The same goes for:
Foundation scouting should not be a thing
If you think that seeing trees being cut through the fog of war shouldn’t be a thing give this thread a <3
If you don’t - leave a comment on why you think it’s better to have it like that.