Who's Afraid of a Crooked Forest?
In the small town of Gryfino, Poland, is one of the most mysterious forests in the world, where trees grow crooked and no one knows why.
BRIT Collections
Botanical Research Institute of Texas | Fort Worth Botanic Garden
Plant specimen (2013-10-03) by KengiBRIT Collections
In Northwest Poland lives an unusual and mysterious forest of crooked pine trees. The forest is like something out of a storybook; you’d expect a wicked witch and a sneaky fox to come into view at any moment.
The forest of 400 trees appear as if they hover inches above the ground, dramatically curving 90 degrees upward in the shape of a J.
The crooked trees are all nearly identical, and they are surrounded on all sides by a forest of straight pine trees.
Plant specimen (2012-05-12) by RzuwigBRIT Collections
The most mysterious thing about this forest? No one knows exactly why the trees grow this way.
It is estimated that the trees were planted in the 1930s. Sadly, the town was invaded and destroyed during World War II, leading to the loss of all records and people holding the secrets of the forest.
It is generally thought that the trees were grown in this shape on purpose, possibly to create a specific type of curved furniture. But how do trees grow this way?
Consider trees that weather strong winds - they often grow horizontally or vertically in response to their surrounding conditions. One theory suggest the saplings were buried under a snowstorm, while some believe the gravitational pull in the area has affected their growth.
Nevertheless, the trees grow tall and healthy
It appears that the trees in the Crooked Forest were bent horizontally when they were young, possibly only saplings a few inches tall, and then reoriented to grow upward. This would allow for their unusual shape and the change in growth patterns.
Plant specimen (2021-11) by Michał SłupczewskiBRIT Collections
The trees are silent sentinels of a bygone era
Though the secrets of the crooked forest remain veiled in uncertainty, its haunting beauty and mystique continue to captivate all who venture. Thankfully, the special forest will remain as it is for generations, as it is a protected natural monument of Poland.
Story created by Alyssa Kosyaem, Philecology Herbarium, Botanical Research Institute of Texas and Fort Worth Botanic Garden.
Kelati, Haben. "Why are these 400 trees in a Polish forest crooked?" The Washington Post, 2022. https://www.washingtonpost.com/kidspost/2022/04/19/polish-trees-crooked/
Yang, Yvette. "The Mystery of the Crooked Forest," Discovery, 2020. https://www.discovery.com/exploration/the-mystery-of-the-crooked-forest
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