Go deep! - About the attraction of giant trees

今日は巨木の魅力を見ていきましょう。「日本は国土の2/3を森林が占める豊かな国です。樹齢3000年の武雄の大楠は、幹の中に神社があるなど、巨木を崇める歴史が深く、その神聖なオーラに包まれているのです。2010年には樹齢2000年の屋久杉の大杉が倒壊しましたが、日本の巨木は今も訪れる人を魅了し続けています。このような素晴らしい樹木を目の当たりにできたことに感謝し、今後さらにその美しさと文化的意義を探求していきたいと思います。」(English) Today we look at the appeal of giant trees.  - "Japan is renowned for its lush forests, occupying 2/3 of its land. With a deep-rooted history of venerating magnificent trees, like the 3000-year-old Takeo no Okusu, housing a shrine within its hollow trunk, the reverence for these wonders is palpable in the sacred aura that envelops them. Despite the collapse of 2000-year-old Yakusugi cedar Oh-sugi in 2010, the giant trees in Japan still captivate visitors. I am grateful for the opportunity to witness these stunning trees and look forward to further exploring their beauty and cultural significance in the future."

Go deep! About the attraction of giant trees and the top 10 ranking of Japan's big trees

//Summary//

A)1) Forests cover 2/3 of Japan's land area.

The proportion of land covered by forest is called the forest cover ratio, and Japan's forest cover ratio is 68.2%, ranking it third in the world among developed countries.

2) By the way, Finland has the highest forest cover of any developed country at 73.9%, and Sunarim in Latin America has the highest forest cover of any country at 98.2%.

Other large countries with forest cover include the USA with 33.1%, Canada with 33.6% and Brazil, home of the Amazon, with 57.2%.

3) Japan is a history and culture of respecting magnificent trees as "sacred trees" and glorifying them in shrines.

Many large, long-lived trees are hundreds or thousands of years old.

B)5) In Japan, the definition of a giant tree is as follows.

A tree with a trunk circumference of more than 300 cm at the height of about 130 cm above the ground.

C) 6) Top 10 giant trees in Japan

The Ministry of Environment has conducted a large-scale survey called the "Basic Survey on the Conservation of the Natural Environment" seven times.

D)8) Takeo no Okusu, Takeo City, Saga Prefecture

It is hollow and has a shrine inside.

The tree is estimated to be over 3000 years old.

I was struck by how sacred the atmosphere was.

E)10) Jomon Cedar, Yakushima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture

If you like big trees, you can't miss the Jomon Cedars.

11) There are various theories about the estimated age of the trees, such as 7200 or 4000 years old, but they are probably well over 3000 years old.

F)12) Thoughts about giant trees

I have chosen and presented my favourite giant trees, but I have seen many more.

13) This time we have focused on the 'Giant Tree Ranking' as an easy-to-understand indicator.

In reality, we are not obsessed with the rankings to see the trees.

Each tree has its personality, history and emotions.

14) I believe 'trees' are the largest and longest-living creatures known to man.

I have heard that the largest animal on earth is the 'blue whale', which is over 30 metres long and has over 500 years old shells.

I have heard that the largest living organism in the world is the 'mushroom', with a fungus bed the size of 600 Tokyo domes.

15) Some say that 'the earth is alive' or 'the mountains are alive'.

Maybe they are alive, but it would be difficult for ordinary people to recognise them.

In contrast, the world's giant tree and the world's oldest tree are clear.

The world's tallest tree is a sequoia called 'Hyperion' in California, USA, which is 115.55 m tall and 4.84 m in diameter.

Add info) Three of the world's tallest trees are in California. It is in Redwood National Park on the border with Oregon.

16) The most significant and oldest living thing recognisable to the average human being is probably a 'tree'.

17) A 2000-year-old Yakusugi cedar tree called 'O-osugi' in Yakushima collapsed in 2010.

It is a pity, but all living things will die one day. But, unfortunately, even the Jomon cedars do not know when they will die.

18) "I'll regret it if I don't go and see them now," I think, so I find time to go and see giant trees all over Japan.

I am grateful for the luxurious environment where giant trees are all over Japan, and I can go and see them as soon as I travel a little further and intend to continue travelling in the future.

***

A)

1)

Before you start visiting the giant trees

Forests cover 2/3 of Japan's land area.

The proportion of land covered by forest is called the forest cover ratio, and Japan's forest cover ratio is 68.2%, ranking it third in the world among developed countries.

Except for the coast and some plains, the government is all mountains.

If you look down from an aeroplane window, you will see that Japan is a country of lush greenery.

2)

By the way, Finland has the highest forest cover of any developed country at 73.9%, and Sunarim in Latin America has the highest forest cover of any country at 98.2%.

Other large countries with forest cover include the USA with 33.1%, Canada with 33.6% and Brazil, home of the Amazon, with 57.2%.

The vast Russian Federation has the largest forest area in the world, but its forest cover is 47.9%.

Even though the country is large, there are large areas where trees cannot grow, such as deserts and tundra.

3)

Japan is a country where trees can grow from north to south.

There is a history and culture of respecting magnificent trees as "sacred trees" and glorifying them in shrines.

Many large, long-lived trees are hundreds or thousands of years old.

You may not be aware of these trees because they are commonly found in the city, but from a global perspective, they are a precious environment.

4)

This blog has previously taken you on trips to see the 'Three Great Cherry Trees of Japan' and to enjoy nature in both midsummer and midwinter.

https://japatabix.com/2017-sakura-meisyo/

B)

5)

Definition of a Giant Tree

Before we introduce the giant trees themselves, let us first explain the definition of a big tree.

In Japan, the definition of a giant tree is as follows.

A tree with a trunk circumference of more than 300 cm at the height of about 130 cm above the ground.

If the trunk is divided into several bins at 130 cm above the ground, each trunk's total circumference must be 300 cm or more, and the thickest box must be 200 cm or more.

C)

6)

Top 10 giant trees in Japan

The Ministry of Environment has conducted a large-scale survey called the "Basic Survey on the Conservation of the Natural Environment" seven times.

The 4th (1983-1988) and 6th (1999-2005) surveys included giant trees.

The ranking is highly interchangeable due to the discovery of new trees and remeasurements.

7)

Top 10 ranking of most giant trees in the 6th survey

This is the sixth survey, more than ten years after the fourth.

As shown below, the ranking has changed by half compared to the previous survey.

No. 1 Gamo City, Kagoshima Prefecture 'Great Camphor Tree, 24.22 m.

No. 2 Atami City, Shizuoka Prefecture, 'Giant camphor tree at Raiku Shrine', 23.9 m.

No. 3 Banyan tree, Tofuhira-cho, Okinawa Prefecture 23.5 m

No. 4 Ginkgo biloba, Fukaura, Aomori Prefecture 22 m.

No. 5 Honjo no Okusu (Great Camphor Tree), Fukuoka Prefecture 21 m.

Tied 5th  Takeo City, Saga Prefecture 'Kawako no Okusu' camphor tree, 21 m.

No. 7 Takeo-shi, Saga 'Great Camphor Tree,' 20 m.

Tied 7th Yamagata, 'Gongenzan no Dai-katsura' katsura, 20 m.

Tied 7th Umi City, Fukuoka Prefecture 'Umi Hachimangu no Forest' camphor tree 20m

No. 10 Banyan tree, Okinawa Prefecture 19.9m

D)

8)

Takeo no Okusu, Takeo City, Saga Prefecture

The 'Takeo no Okusu' (Great Kusu) at Takeo Shrine is one of my favourite trees, having been there twice.

This is what it looked like when I was there in August 2017.

It is hollow and has a shrine inside.

The tree is estimated to be over 3000 years old.

I was struck by how sacred the atmosphere was.

A bamboo forest surrounds it.

9)

We visited this in the spring of 2018.

The bamboo forest around it was being cut down, perhaps due to a lack of sunlight.

It was a pity as it was too bright, and the charisma seemed to have been spoilt a bit.

E)

10)

Jomon Cedar, Yakushima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture

If you like big trees, you can't miss the Jomon Cedars.

Getting to them takes a lot of work, so you get very attached to them.

11)

There are various theories about the estimated age of the trees, such as 7200 or 4000 years old, but they are probably well over 3000 years old.

I think there are a lot of people who like giant trees like the Yakusugi Cedar.

I have written a separate article about my stay in Yakushima, so please read it together.

https://japatabix.com/2018-hondo-sokuhou6/

F)

12)

Thoughts about giant trees

I have chosen and presented my favourite giant trees, but I have seen many more.

I also met the 'God of the Forest' in Hokkaido, and there were many magnificent trees on Sado Island in Niigata.

13)

This time we have focused on the 'Giant Tree Ranking' as an easy-to-understand indicator.

In reality, we are not obsessed with the rankings to see the trees.

Each tree has its personality, history and emotions.

In the first place, people decided on the unit 'metre', so the exact numbers have no deep meaning.

"It's big!" or "Cool!" or "Live long from now on!" are just simple impressions.

14)

I believe 'trees' are the largest and longest-living creatures known to man.

I have heard that the largest animal on earth is the 'blue whale', which is over 30 metres long and has over 500 years old shells.

I have heard that the largest living organism in the world is the 'mushroom', with a fungus bed the size of 600 Tokyo domes.

15)

Some say that 'the earth is alive' or 'the mountains are alive'.

Maybe they are alive, but it would be difficult for ordinary people to recognise them.

In contrast, the world's giant tree and the world's oldest tree are clear.

The world's tallest tree is a sequoia called 'Hyperion' in California, USA, which is 115.55 m tall and 4.84 m in diameter.

Add info)

https://usfl.com/2017/11/post/113327

Three of the world's tallest trees are in California.

It is in Redwood National Park on the border with Oregon.

It is a Sequoia Mesugi tree called 'Hyperion', which is 115.61 metres tall, 4.6 metres in diameter and said to be between 600 and 800 years old.

It was discovered by naturalists Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor in 2006.

Incidentally, the second tallest tree in the world is 'Helios' at 114.58 metres, and the third is 'Icarus' at 113.14 metres, both in the redwoods.