True
An aerial photo shows a real circular "experimental forestry" project in Japan, with trees planted in concentric rings.
Spread on: Reddit and other social media, September 2026 (photo online since at least 2018)
The real story
The photo is authentic. The trees were deliberately planted in circles to test the effects of different planting densities. The image itself has been circulating since at least December 2018.
The fact-checker's verdict: “True”. Our label never goes further than theirs.
How to spot it
A reverse image search shows how long a picture has been online, which can help confirm or debunk it.
The receipts
Does photo show experimental circular forest in Japan? ↗
Snopes · 2026-09-12
