Can anybody out there help me with this? There is a tree in my neighbourhood that has one branch of very unusual growth. You can see it in the photo as a light cluster of very dense branches and needles. I think this is a Douglas Fir tree. I have Googled a large variety of words and combinations of words and cannot come up with an answer as to what this is or what causes it.
Somebody once pointed out something similar to this on a different type of tree and said that forestation genetic engineers look for clusters like this to study the aberrations in the genetics and growth hormones of these clusters and try to incorporate this into new seedlings to speed up the growth of lumber producing trees. Can this be true?
This tree is behind the Colleen and Gordie Howe Middle School on the corner of McLure and Clearbrook Rds. and is best viewed from the soccer fields behind Mouat High School. The unusual cluster is very evident and stands out greatly in the early morning light.
This is the newly completed playing field next to the High School at the top of our street. In this photo, they are playing soccer, but it was built primarily as a football field as the High School has a great sports program and their football team makes it to the finals every year. 
The field took more than a year to construct and as it progressed, I would walk to the top of the street and be amazed at the time, effort, materials, and technology that went into its construction. It was done for a cost of $1 million. The artificial turf is exquisite and is embedded with tiny rubber chips for safety and resiliency. Most of the preparation for the field involved addressing potential drainage problems. It is 'state of the art'. 
It has amazing lighting for night play, lighted and heated team boxes, a large electronic scoreboard on one end, and a series of bleachers for spectators. The beautiful anodized chain link fence gives ample room on the sidelines. The school property extends way beyond the sidelines so why was the field not built east/west instead of north/south? My letter to the editor of the local paper was published but nobody could answer my question. You see, the football field ends at the goal line on either end of the field with a sturdy chain link fence. There are no end zones!
