There's Nothing Wrong with Your Eyes

February 07, 2014

Plantation

Photographer: Matt Read
Summary Authors: Matt Read; Stu Witmer

There's nothing wrong with your eyes. There's nothing wrong with this picture. On the road to Mount St. Helens recently I thought for a moment that I was experiencing double vision when I came upon this stand of trees. When Mount St. Helens exploded in 1980, it desolated the countryside, blasting down trees and burying everything in hot ash. Before the eruption, the forest here was composed primarily of a mix of old growth Douglas fir and hemlock. The trees seen above are primarily Noble firs and are a part of the Weyerhaeuser Mount St. Helens tree farm. The blurry appearance apparently stems from the symmetrical growth patterns that are primarily due to pruning and trimming practices used to produce high-grade lumber free of knots. This type of lumber is much preferred for making furniture, decorative molding and other uses. The plantation trees were also thinned a few years ago as can be seen in the view from above. Photo taken July 4, 2013.

Photo details: Camera Model: Canon PowerShot A650 IS; Focal Length: 10.7mm; Aperture: f/4.0; Exposure Time: 0.0063 s (1/160); ISO equiv: 80.