The Japanese experiment with tree ‘crop circles’: Half a century of cedar circles to understand tree growth – 50 years ago, Japanese researchers planted #trees in circles to study the effects of forest growth and spacing.
They found that the cedar trees have an incredible ability to utilise resources. Trees on the outer rings grew taller with more access to water and sunlight, while the inner circle trees were left to fight over resources amongst themselves.
According to a document from Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the eventual height difference between the smallest trees at the center and the tallest trees on the outer ring was over 5 metres. The trees were meant to be cut down once the experiment was over, but their patterns were so mesmerising researchers couldn’t help but leave them be.
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