Poland's Mysterious Crooked Forest

[bngenoh]

The article says that the crook configuration was human caused, but the reason as to why someone(s) would want 400 pine trees in that configuration is what the mystery is all about.

Yeah that's a mystery to me too.

Source: http://news.discovery.com/earth/polands-crooked-forest-mystery-110628.html

 

[Michal]

Bngenoh Hi

Type in google search: shaping trees. You can see a lot of strange trees out there :).

 

[Voyageur]

The article says that the crook configuration was human caused, but the reason as to why someone(s) would want 400 pine trees in that configuration is what the mystery is all about.

Yeah that's a mystery to me too.

Source: http://news.discovery.com/earth/polands-crooked-forest-mystery-110628.html

It is possible that farmers created the defect for some purpose, Christmas tree growers do this by pruning and creating a false leader or new leader (good grief that sound like politics). Anyway, Fwiw, to me this seems a forest heath issue often characteristic in a stand that has undergone disease symptoms from various insects or fungi. In this case, perhaps the leader at the age class height of the bend (20-30cm mark) may have been attacked by top kill borings insect species, damaging the leader and then recovering with a lateral branch that created the new main stem. These are sometimes called just ‘Crooks’ or ‘Shepherd's Crooks’ caused by things like terminal weevils or pathogens. Whatever happened here, it was at a precise age class in its growth measured as per the photo canker type bend. Sometimes this happens without a noted defect such as was in the photo, with just a sweep bend which can result from unstable polygons (geological stratum) whereby the ground is moving (influenced by soil type, water and gravity). With the tree roots being anchored, the tree bends evermore towards the original position of influence light creating the sweep; usually pine or fir conifers.

 

[bngenoh]

Bngenoh Hi

Type in google search: shaping trees. You can see a lot of strange trees out there :).

Thanks for that nugging Mikel, i had encountered the subject a while ago, but never came back to it until now. The forms that have been achieved are really incredible, i just saw one in the shape of a chair with a man sitting on it. i was like, :O cool a living chair, that is just awesome.

 

[MnSportsman]

Only conjecture, but maybe they were bent by humans for some purpose like making the runners for sleighs? The natural bend would be stronger than steam bending wood for that purpose. I was under the impression that trees tended to lean South towards the most sunlight. At least that is the case in my area of the world. They mention a North orientation. Maybe they were bent North then, knowing they would grow back to the South would help "train" them n the desired shape?

Also,on a side note, I have been told & read that some native american peoples used bent trees for directional indicators for traveling & orienting for navigation. But this would have been overkill for a purpose like that.

Just some thoughts.
I appreciate the sharing of this.
:)
Thnx!