In the southern part of Indiana lies the Hoosier National Forest. It's a truly wonderful place to camp and hike. In the fall, it's one of the best places there is to look at the changing leaves.

Flying over it in the fall in a small plane, I've noticed that the leaves on trees in different sections will change color at slightly different rates.

I understand that the day that a particular tree will begin to turn in the fall is dependent on a combination of things, most notably the wetness of the season and also the change in ultraviolet light.

I'm proposing that images of a dozen square miles or so could be made by selectively managing certain trees to trigger either early or late color changes. Spraying the tree with an environmentally benign substance to block ultraviolet should trigger an early change.

Each tree would be a pixel...
-- zigness, May 17 2004

Tree Swastika http://news.bbc.co..../europe/1053635.stm
Has been cut down now. [MikeOliver, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

Brilliant, if you can do it.
-- 5th Earth, May 17 2004


Perhaps different varieties of tree could change at different times. Then you just need to plant the right ones, and leave the trees to it. I don't like the idea of someone going round coating the leaves of trees. It seems incredibly labour intensive for quite a small pay-off. How do you propose to do it?
-- spacemoggy, May 17 2004


I was imagining a crop duster spraying certain areas. Computer controlled spray booms... certainly more cost effective than planting new trees over several square miles.

Besides, [spacemoggy], I just can't believe you had the guts to use words like...

\\It seems incredibly labour intensive for quite a small pay-off\\

when you are the one that actually posted "Calendar-convenient orbit". Talk about out of whack resource to gain ratios! Good Grief!!!
-- zigness, May 17 2004


aah but a calendar convienient orbit would be more useful, and get Nasa etal working on space travel and exploration again.

this would be cool kind of like the ornate paterned gardens you see round chateauxs in France.
-- engineer1, May 18 2004


I'm sure i read in the paper that Hitler planted something like this in a forest in Germany, and only recently, looking down (from a helicopter) at the trees revealed a yellow Swastika against a green background.
Will try to find a link.
-- MikeOliver, May 18 2004


Hello kettle, pot here. Point taken. I was imagining you would have Park Wardens going round coating each individual tree, because you said that "each tree would be a pixel", which would be nigh on impossible if you're applying the stuff by aeroplane. If you were to make your pixels rather larger, say, a hectare, this could work. You would have to view it from up a mountain, but I assume your forest has some of those.

My point about planting new trees is that, yes, it would be more expensive at first, but its a one off cost. After the trees have been planted you don't need to lift a finger, whereas with your method you need to redo it every year.
-- spacemoggy, May 18 2004


I propose a huge picture of a forest seen from the air.
-- dobtabulous, May 18 2004


//whereas with your method you need to redo it every year// Ah, but then you could change the image.
-- zigness, May 18 2004



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