The smiley face is almost invisible in spring and summer when all the trees are green but makes a great showing in fall.
A forester planted a few larch trees in the Douglas fir forest in Oregon to create a smiley face.
From one of our followers on Facebook:
“I work for the company that planted this. As the caption says, this is created by western larch trees (the yellow) creatively planted in a stand of Douglas fir. Unlike most conifers that stay green year-round, larch turns yellow in fall and loses its needles.
The smiley face is almost invisible in spring and summer when all the trees are green but makes a great showing in fall.
Both species are native and this complies with all local Forest Practices laws and the SFI sustainability standard. It’s visible on the south side of Highway 22 by Grand Ronde and the Spirit Mountain Casino in Oregon, and greets everyone as they head back to Salem from the coast.Douglas fir grows a bit faster than larch and will eventually outcompete it, distorting the shape and definition of lines in the next decade.”
