Abstract
Heavy snowfall due to a cyclone passing along southern Honshu Island during February14-15, 2014, caused severe snow accretion damage to Cryptomeria japonica plantations in southwestern Tochigi Prefecture, central Japan. Most of damaged trees were on the east slopes of the Ashio Mountains at 200-650m above sea level (a.s.l.), and the damage type included stem breakage, canopy breakage, and bending. Dry snowfall that began in the afternoon of February 14 in this area became heavy wet snow in the early morning of February15 and was accompanied by increases in air temperature. In some parts of this area, the total amount of wet snow had a 100mm water equivalent. Snow accretion damage occurred in the morning of February 15 when the snowfall intensity was at its maximum. Although severe north winds were observed in the northern and central parts of Tochigi Prefecture on the morning of February 15, the wind speed on the slopes of the Ashio Mountains was relatively low. These conditions imply that the primary factor causing the snow accretion damage to C. japonica plantations in this area was heavy, wet snowfall.
