How the Japanese Produce Wood Without Cutting Down Trees

In Japan, trees play a key role in preserving the solemn atmosphere and natural surroundings. Some species manage to grow to great heights and are preserved as natural monuments; It is possible to find specimens there that are more than two thousand years old. Also, after eventual deforestation and forest fires, the Japanese wait for the pine areas to recover, especially in sunny places where they usually grow. In view of all this, it is not exactly a surprise to learn that the Japanese created a technique with the aim of producing wood without having to cut down trees.

O awesome.club decided to research how the Japanese manage to produce wood without cutting down trees, bringing some interesting data to satisfy your curiosity, reader.

Daisugi is the name of the Japanese technique that allows the removal of straight trunks without having to cut the entire tree. For that, they use sugi🇧🇷 also known as Japanese cedar, widely planted around temples.

O daisugi can create the appearance of a giant bonsai, giving the impression that small trees are being grown on top of larger ones. And as if that were not enough, the same technique allows seedlings to be removed from a single tree to replant and create or renew an entire forest.

Despite being originally a forest management technique, the daisugi has also found space in Japanese gardens. Thanks to it, seedlings are produced by pruning trees, as if they were giant bonsai. Such seedlings grow vertically, without knots and perfectly uniform. This allows the wood to be used without having to cut the entire tree.

A single tree can yield up to 100 seedlings at once, guaranteeing wood for at least 200 years. It is a sustainable system valued by traditional Japanese architecture, which often uses this material for its strength, knot-free appearance and smooth, shiny surface.

The technique is not only impressive for the results, but also for the whole process, including the planting of the sugi tree, which is very special. It represents approximately 44% of all conifer plantations in Japan, which allowed the species to be seen again in areas where its presence had been reduced.

Valued in the Asian country, a millenary copy, the Jōmon Sugi exists to this day. Its age is estimated to be over two thousand years.

In your opinion, what is the most beautiful tree there is? And as for Japan, would you like to visit that country? Comment!