Restore 100 Hectares of the Miyagi Coastal Forest

Nine years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011. The Coastal Forest Restoration Project in Natori which started on March 17 of the same year marks the 10^th year and the final year of the first 10-year project. So far, the project has been going on better than expected without mass withering of black pines and fallen trees by typhoons and strong wind. We would like to express our deep thanks to those who have supported our project. This year, as the preparatory year for the second 10-year project, we will make an effort to cooperate with the government, accept volunteers for field works and put more of a force to promotional activities

Osaka Marathon, started in 2011, is a leading citizen participation type marathon in Japan, of the scale second only to Tokyo Marathon. It is a charity event that aims to raise funds among the runners and roadside cheering people. For 7 consecutive years, including the 2020 Osaka Marathon, OISCA (Coastal Forest Restoration Project) is selected as one of the charity recipient organizations. The registration fee of 70,000 Japanese yen or 700 US dollars paid by an individual charity runner is donated to his/her selected charity recipient organizations such as OISCA.

We are fortunate and appreciative of the foreign runners from Australia, the Philippines, and Taiwan supported our endeavor. The entry for charity runners this year will start on April 23. We are waiting for your entry as charity runners! For further details, please have a look at the official home page of Osaka Marathon.

http://www.osaka-marathon.com/index_en.html

On behalf of the beneficiaries of our project, particularly the core members of the Association for the Restoration of Coastal Forest in Natori City, we wish to extend our sincerest gratitude for your kindness and generosity.

Shukuko (Ms.), one of the core members of the Association and in charge in weeding and watering of the black pine seedlings at the nursery mentioned how she wanted to meet all the supporters and volunteers to thank them individually. Since this is not possible, she is showing her appreciation by contributing and giving her best to produce good quality of seedlings.

Shukuko works almost every day at the nursery. According to her, tending to the seedlings is not difficult because of the expertise of Mr. Koichi, overall in charge of the project. At the nursery, Shukuko acts like the eyes and ears of Mr. Koichi. She notices immediately when there is strange thing that is happening such as the sudden wilting of seedlings, which she then reports to Mr. Koichi. Among other factors, we attribute the success of our seedling production from the action of Shukuko.

It has been 8 years since the March 2011 disaster yet Shukuko still remembers the strange sound of tsunami and the murky color of water. The water was already high and there was no place to escape. She felt lucky that their house had a second floor so she managed to survive.

Getting involved into the project and working with her fellow survivors helped Shukuko in recovering from the trauma caused by the disaster. As they worked together to achieve the goal of restoring the damaged coastal forest, they develop a sense of camaraderie and belongingness- exact opposite of the sense of isolation that they felt when they were relocated after the tsunami.

Black pine trees sown in the spring of 2012 have now grown into 5 meters high (same height of an adult giraffe). It has been 8 and a half years since the start of our project and we have raised 72% (as of the end of August 2019) of the needed fund. We are deeply appreciative of your generous support.

We have mobilized a total of 10,920 volunteers who helped us in nurturing the planted black pines. We value the presence of the volunteers and we do not consider them as a free workforce. In this regard, we let them understand the significance of coastal forest, the importance of the field work, and the immediate need of carrying the work now. We use tools such as hoes and sickles in the field work. We are grateful that we have not encountered any major accidents or injuries. We think that it is because the participants understood well the working environment and they have a strong grasp of the content and value of the field work.

After finishing tidying up the tools, we gather all the volunteers and ask 5 participants of their impressions. A common answer is that they get attached with the black pine and are looking forward to seeing their growth. It may not be scientific, but we believe that the love of the more than 10,000 people who get involved with the project helped in the steady growth of the black pines. One volunteer commented that she maybe weak, but not helpless, and that her contribution can not be done by machines. One person can do little work in one day, yet the power of 10,000 people is a great force.

Meanwhile, one volunteer who happened to be a staff of IBEX Airlines (aircraft expert) based at Sendai Airport mentioned about the anti-fog effect of coastal forest. He clearly understood the significance of growing black pines and its impact to his work, so he is committed to continue volunteering.

It might take time before the coastal forest fully function as a green infrastructure and will impact the life of the local people. We intend to continue nurturing our black pines with the help of our volunteers and expert forest workers. We would like to solicit for your continued and warm support.

It has been eight years since we started our project and we are now on the process of transitioning to another level. During the project`s peak period, rows of 8,900 pots containing 200,000 seedlings were a common sighting at the nursery. In the summer season, it takes four hours for two members of the Association for the Restoration of Coastal Forest in Natori to water the seedlings.

Since 2014, we planted a total of 350,000 black-pine seedlings in an area of 67 hectares. At the nursery, we are raising seedlings to plant in 6-hectare area in 2020. Despite the poor soil condition, the black-pines have grown noticeable fast that the highest reached up to 4-meter high. The growth speed is faster than initially predicted and to have a healthy coastal forest, full-fledged thinning is necessary in a few years.

Meanwhile, the wooden windbreak fences that protected the black-pines from cold and dry wind are now gradually degrading. In preparation for the smooth thinning process in the future, we intend to remove these fences.

The increase of vegetation in our project site contributed to the gradual restoration of the area`s biodiversity as manifested by the presence of racoons, weasels, raptors, dragonflies, and reappearance of known to be extinct species of plants.

In March 2019, Miyagi Prefectural Government established a Disaster Prevention Forest Review Committee involving the local government with coastal forests. The committee aims to study future management system of the coastal forests in terms of preventing and mitigating disasters.

While the field is steadily changing, the outpour of support from private corporations, organizations, and private individuals is still consistent. The letter with a message “I am very glad to see that green is steadily regenerated by the people with good intentions in a wide and harsh environment” that we received from one of our supporters is heartwarming.

We are heartily grateful to the supporters of our project.

It has been 8 years since we started implementing our Coastal Forest Restoration Project in Natori. Since the beginning, we have been receiving financial support from many people around the world, including the GlobalGiving supporters. We would like to express sincere appreciation for your support. Your generosity enables us to to carry out the project as planned.

Our project in Natori now serves as a model coastal reforestation project constantly visited by foreign experts and decision makers. Over the past 8 years, we have received more than 100 non-Japanese from 60 different countries, including a Mayor whose municipality was severely affected by typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

Meanwhile, the reforestation related techniques that we have developed while implementing the project are now being adopted by our local counterparts outside Japan. Such technique includes the use of water absorbing polymer to improve the water absorption of the newly planted seedlings, which is crucial to their survival. This technique is now applied in our reforestation project to combat the desertification problem in Inner Mongolia, China, as well as in our reforestation projects in the Philippines and Thailand.

Now that we are on the second stage of the project implementation, we will incorporate the concept of Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (ECO-DRR), not only in Natori but also in foreign countries threatened by natural disasters, to help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.

We would like to request for your continued support.