Sweden has a small island whose forest grows unusually straight oak trees. The 300,000 oak trees were planted on Visingsö, a narrow island in the middle of Vättern (Sweden’s second largest lake) around 1830 by the Swedish navy. The navy planted oak because it is an excellent wood shipbuilding because it is both unusually strong and able to grow tall and straight. Other species such as ash, elm, maple, beech and silver fir were planted between the rows, to force growth up and tall, rather than spreading out and wide.
The intention was to have enough good, straight wood for Sweden to build plenty of warships in the future. The oak trees planted around 1830 were estimated to mature by 1975. But by that time, of course, Sweden’s navy had long since converted their wooden boats to metal, and no longer needed the specially-grown oaks.
Instead the trees are used for wood flooring, furniture, and whiskey barrels!
