Field Irradiator Gamma

 forest, botanical garden, nuclear research centre

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The Field Irradiator Gamma (FIG) area at Whiteshell Laboratories has been used to study the effects of chronic gamma radiation on a mixed boreal forest. From 1973 to 1986 the roughly circular patch of forest, 1km in diameter, was irradiated by a cesium-137 source atop a central 20m tower. The location of the tower can be roughly made out at the center, the pine trees in this area were killed off by the high radiation levels; the pines died wherever the levels were about 100,000 times background. The curving road passing to the left of the central area was the former access road, but is mostly grown over now. The marsh at the western (left) edge just below center is the remains of a former gravel pit. The line running in from the southwest is the former power line, which is no longer used here by is still in use a short distance to the west. The remains of a clearing where the power line and access road met held a transformer station.