6 Who planted a smiley face in the forest?
There is a surprise in the forest. It is on Highway 18. It is between Willamina and Grande Ronde. The forest trees are smiling.
The face uses two kinds of trees. Douglas fir trees stay green. Larch trees turn brown in autumn. The Larch trees make the face.
Hampton Lumber planted the trees in 2011. People will see the smiley face for a long time. They will see it for 30-50 more years. Then the company will harvest the trees for wood.
-This story was first published in ESOL News Oregon December 5, 2020.
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Discuss
- Why did Hampton Lumber plant these trees?
- What design should Hampton Lumber create next?
- You can only see the smiley face from far away. If you are in the forest, then you cannot see it. Can you think of another example? What is something you can see only from far away?
- Hampton Lumber made their design with two kinds of trees. What other plants can make interesting designs?
Write
- Trees are important in Oregon. Write about the different ways we use trees in our daily lives.
- How do trees change during the year? Write about the changes of a tree in Oregon in each season: spring, summer, fall, winter.
- Compare and contrast the trees in your home country to the trees in Oregon. What is the same? What is different?
- Friends of Trees is a nonprofit organization in Oregon. They plant trees. Why is it important to plant more trees? Explain and give examples.
Sources
The Oregonian. “Trees Form a Smiley Face along Oregon’s Highway 18.” YouTube, 1 Dec. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=43Fkhhkt7CY&ab_channel=TheOregonian. Accessed 5 Dec. 2020.
