Crop circles have long fascinated people, as they have a central element of mystery and are known in popular culture as signs left by aliens when trying to establish contact with humans.
A forest from in southern Japan, in the Miyazaki Prefecture, is the home of strange cedar trees that grown in a swirl shape, creating concentric circles. As strange as these circles in the forest might seem, they are the result of human intervention that happened 50 years ago.
The project was initiated by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries and it aimed to build an area of experimental forestry. Researchers have planted trees in 10-degree radial increments intending to form concentric circles. The pattern can now be seen on Google Earth, and even though the project includes a plan of harvesting the trees, local authorities are now considering preserving this peculiar forest.
From aerial photos, the place looks indeed as if it was visited by aliens species before, but as for most unexplainable natural phenomena, this story also has a logical explanation.
Photo: Miyazaki southern forest management office via Sankei News
