Yokohama National University professor emeritus Akira Miyawaki, who to date has planted over
40 million trees in 1,700 locations in Japan and overseas, is continuing his tree planting
activities not only in Japan but also on twice monthly overseas trips.
Iwanumi City in Miyagi Prefecture suffered tremendous damage from the Great East Japan Earthquake. To prepare
for the next disaster, Miyawaki is promoting natural selection through mixed and dense
planting of multiple types of trees as he advocates the creation of forests that do
not require oversight. Iwanuma City has incorporated Miyawaki's philosophy in establishing the
"1,000-year Kibonooka Project" in preparation for the next disaster.
Tide protection forests to date have primarily consisted of a single type of tree such as
red or black pine. But shallow-rooted pine trees were uprooted by the tsunami and did
not serve their purpose.
Miyawaki proposed to efficiently use the tremendous amount of debris created by the disaster as
a resource excluding toxic and non-decomposable material. Sorted debris is mixed with dirt
and used to fill dug-out holes to create large mounds that are further covered with dirt.
In planting trees, primary constituent trees are selected that grow long, deep roots and
match the potential natural vegetation of an area. Three to five saplings of various
other vegetation that make up the forest in addition to the main constituent trees are
planted per square meter. This will require weeding for the first two to three years,
but no maintenance is required after that. Twenty years after the tree planting there
will be an abundant forest that will remain generation after generation until the next
ice age predicted to occur in 9,000 years.
The forest will function as a green barrier, and by making the mound high it will also
protect against large tsunamis. By reducing the energy of a tsunami, the mound will reduce
the height and speed of the tsunami, thereby increasing the potential to protect people and property.
Pride One Entertainment's Yasushi Akutagawa, who has expressed interest in Miyawaki's simple
efforts to protect the environment, is thinking of supporting the forest building movement
through film.