Curse of the Petrified Forest

Picture Taken by Kumar Appaiah

There lies a forest in Northeastern Arizona between Navajo County and Apache County. This forest is called the Petrified Forest National Park and got its name from the petrified trees scattered inside it. It was designated a National Monument in 1906 and a National Park in 1962.

It's illegal to take anything out of the Forest as a way to try and preserve it. A result of being caught stealing something from the Park will get you a nice fine. Whether or not you get caught you also get the price of a curse if that's your thing. Neither the fine nor the curse prevents people from stealing from the park anyway.

It's said that if you take a rock no matter how small no matter how innocent your intent is bad luck will soon follow. Some people claimed pets died, family member or themselves got injured soon after and bad luck just follows until the rocks are returned to their home.
   
There is a pile called the conscious pile that rangers termed returned rocks and items from the forest. Now if the rocks are to be returned in order to not contaminate the scientific research area. Each one returned and there are at least 1,200 letters some dating back to 1934. Each return has been blamed for causing bad luck or intense guilt in the lives of the thieves. 


SOURCES:
Gizmodo
ZOCALO
New Scientist

The Crooked Forest of Poland

Just outside of Gryfino, Poland there is a little forest of strange trees. It's known as Krzywy Las or the Crooked Forest. 400 pine trees grow crookedly. At the base, the trees curve and make a J shape and all the trees curve towards the North. No one knows how these trees came to be this way.

It's known that the trees were planted around the 1930s and around 10 years later is when the trees were curved.. The reason or even how it had happened is a mystery. One that may never be solved.

These trees could have been curved for convenience as the curve may have made it easier to make certain things like boats, rocking chairs, etc. It seems only 400 were affected, but it could be possible that the farmers were stopped due to WWII.

Some theorize that it may have been a political statement. Around the time that it was estimated to have happened WWII was happening. It may have done to make a political statement by local farmers. A similar statement happened in 1939 by planting larch trees in a pine forest in Zernikow, Brandenburg in Germany.

Some think that it's possible that during the Invasion of Poland in WWII enemy tanks may have caused damage. That possibly the tanks plowed through the young forest and caused them to flatten and grow the way they did. It seems unlikely that the trauma caused was from this.

Some theorize that the trees were an act of nature.  There are trees around the world that have experienced this curve. Except in those cases, the curves are rough and these are smooth Maybe it was due to harsh a heavy snowfall or harsh winds. Some think that it may be due to soil creep. The only problem with that though is that the forest lays on flat land. Soil creep typically happens on hills or sloping land. Or maybe they suffer from a genetic mutation that causes this.

Between WWII and the 1970's Gryfino was abandoned. It's understandable why no one knows why the trees were this way.


SOURCES:
https://www.historicmysteries.com/crooked-forest-poland/
https://allthatsinteresting.com/crooked-forest-poland-krzywy-las
https://www.iflscience.com/environment/what-could-have-caused-polands-crooked-forest/