2013 Volume 6 Issue 1 Pages 5-15
Since the Great East Japan Earthquake, development of barrier forests has been attracting tremendous attention because they are a means of lessening the effects of tsunamis. Originally, artificial forests in coastal areas of Japan except central and northern Hokkaido comprised only Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii). However, single-tree-species forests, whether or not on coasts, are susceptible to pests and weather damage. Moreover, because Japanese black pine is a pioneer sun tree, its maintenance over long periods requires additional management by the forestry workers. Therefore, it is believed that one must develop mixed forests of coniferous and broad-leaved species, which include various native species such as coastal forests that can resist natural disasters, are easy to maintain, and can be conserved over a long period of time. However, the technology for developing mixed forests of coniferous and broad-leaved species on artificial embankments on a large scale has not yet been fully developed. The authors have been developing the “Eco-mixed seeding and planting method” for more than 20 years to develop mixed forests with coniferous and broad-leaved species in central and southern Hokkaido, which belongs to the same summer-green forest belt as the Tohoku region This method is a comprehensive system based on backcasting, which includes the setting of objectives, seed gathering, seedling cultivation, planting, record keeping, follow-up studies, and evaluation. Therefore, it is considered to be an effective method for developing barrier forests in the Tohoku region.
