Every fall, a hillside along Oregon's Highway 18 greets passersby with a huge smiley face made up of trees.
The design, created by Hampton Lumber in 2011, features a mix of Douglas fir and larch planted during a reforestation of the area, Designboom says.
The face will be visible for the next 10 years in a forest in Oregon, United States (Street art utopia).
The larches have been organized in such a way that during the autumn, their needles turn yellow, creating the body of the face while the Douglas fir forms the eyes and mouth.
THE IDEA
"The idea for the smiley face started with David Hampton and our former Timberland manager, Dennis Creel. When we planted on site, we knew the area was highly visible to people traveling on Highway 18, so David and Dennis saw an opportunity to have some fun."
"They used a string to measure the circle and the eyes and mouth were triangulated from that point," they continue.
The forest has become a point of interest for rural Polk County in Oregon with its more than 90 meters in diameter (Street art utopia).
They add: "Douglas fir was planted for the eyes and mouth and the rest of the face was stuffed with larch. Both species will eventually be turned into wood at our sawmills in Willamina and Tillamook. Let's just say that smiley face designs are not the most efficient reforestation methods out there. With planning and planting, it took about a week to finish."
In 30 or 50 years, the trees will be harvested to use their wood (Street art utopia).
With the passage of time the face will be less and less visible, however, experts say that it will be sharp for at least a decade more and that in 30 or 50 years, the trees will be harvested to use their wood.
The forest has become a landmark for rural Polk County in Oregon with its more than 90 meters in diameter.
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GML