Have You Seen This Forest Shaped Like Minnesota?

Deep in the heart of the North Star State, there’s a forest growing that's so meticulously Minnesotan it’s actually shaped like the state itself.

It's pretty safe to say that residents of the Land of 10,000 Lakes really like the shape of our state, right? You can buy just about any kind of apparel that features an image, outline or likeness of our fine state. From hats to sweatshirts, t-shirts to pajamas, and more, you can find just about anything branded with the shape of Minnesota these days.

But this Minnesota-based creation is way bigger than any piece of apparel or merchandise. And it's not an AI creation, either-- it's a forest that's actually growing in the shape of Minnesota. It's real, and photographs of this strange forest have been making the rounds again.

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This picture of a pine forest, growing in the shape of the Star of the North has re-emerged, courtesy of the folks over at Minnesota Forestry, a division of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

They posted the photograph below-- which IS real, they assure us, and not an AI-created image-- on their X (formerly Twitter) page a year ago, and also explained how such a forest came to exist in the first place.

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The unique creation involves an industrious forester, who was charged with managing a plot of state-owned forest land back in 1988. They set about clearing a section of that forest that resembled the familiar shape of Minnesota. It didn't happen by accident, of course, it was part of a meticulous plan, as Minnesota Forestry explains:

Using a road map, a compass, and a hip chain (a device to measure distances), he set up a 23-acre timber sale in half a day and created an outline that may last more than a century. When harvest was completed in the winter 1988, the shape revealed the shape of  Minnesota, in miniature.

The original picture, taken 37 years ago after the timber sale cut down most of the trees within its borders, shows the remarkably accurate outline of the Bold North.

Of course, in the years since then, the forest has regrown, but as Minnesota Forest notes, red pines were then planted in that same space, and when the surrounding trees were harvested in 2007, the shape of Minnesota returned.

So, a big shout out to the industrious forester who created this very cool tribute to his home state years ago-- one that will continue to exist for generations to come. Speaking of uniquely Minnesota things, keep scrolling to check out some picture-perfect Minnesota Airbnbs you can stay in this winter!

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