A giant smile returns to Oregon each fall thanks to a company that planted a mix of Douglas fir and larch trees in 2011. The creation is the work of Hampton Lumber co-owner David Hampton and now-retired forester Dennis Creel.
Since then, every autumn the now-iconic bright orange face emerges to be admired by people traveling along Oregon’s Highway 18, between the towns of Willamina and Grand Ronde. Over time, the smiley went viral, as Hampton told Fox Weather:
Believe it or not, the smiley face has gone global. It is an absolutely incredible phenomenon. We have clients in Japan who sent us newsreel images they shot.
The larches are the face, the fir trees the mouth and eyes
When they planted the trees, Hampton said they had no idea what would happen. They just thought of showing people that an open space like this, where harvesting takes place, can be a happy place. Fall foliage can brighten someone’s day and perhaps bring a smile, even if the smiley face comes from the trees.
The larch needles change color in autumn and create the body of the face. Douglas fir creates the mouth and eyes. Unlike Douglas fir, larches are deciduous trees. In the fall, larch needles turn golden and then drop from the branches to conserve nutrients for the future, according to the US Forest Service, as explained on Fox Weather
The surprising thing is that it turned out really well. We put a stake in the ground, walked around and then planted all the trees. And let’s hope the trees last for years to come. Honestly, these trees will last a very long time.
So in 40 or 50 years we will probably harvest them and that will be it. It may be a sad day, but that’s how it works in the forestry industry.
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