Scientists Seek Answer to Poland's 90-Year-Old Crooked Forest Mystery

A forest in Poland is home to hundreds of pine trees whose lower trunks curve sharply near the ground. The trees were planted in the late 1920s but were left unattended after World War Two disrupted local life. One leading theory suggests foresters intentionally bent the young saplings to produce specialized curved timber. Natural explanations such as heavy snowfall have also been proposed, though none have been conclusively proven. Researchers are now working to solve the mystery before the opportunity to study it is lost.