Where on the Earth's surface "chess Board"?

The astronaut on Board the International space station, flying above Northern Idaho (USA), noticed that the land along the river, the priest resembles a real chess Board. The picture was taken shortly before sunset, so some of the slopes lit by the sun, while others are long shadows. Who left this mysterious pattern?

White squares represent snow-covered areas where the trees have been felled. These sections alternate with dark green-brown "cells" dense forests, where the trees obscure the snow.

The appearance of the checkerboard is due to the agreement made in 1800-ies, according to which the American government granted the Northern Pacific railroad (Northern Pacific Railroad) every other square mile of forest. Later the plots were sold, and in many cases used for logging.

The principle of the checkerboard "cells" which have since been reduced to a quarter of a square mile, now allows you to maintain sustainability of forests through selective cutting. District Whitetail Butte has historically been used by the Forest service as a lookout to monitor forest fires.

Translated by «Yandex.Translator»