Restore 100 Hectares of the Miyagi Coastal Forest

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.