The issue of forest conservation is becoming more and more acute. But the problem of replacing wood with an equivalent material is no less urgent. However, in Japan, a difficult task was solved several centuries ago. The inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun have found a technology according to which it is possible to harvest rare wood and to cut down trees.
The Japanese have always strived to live in complete harmony with nature. And they do it superbly. It is no coincidence that the amazing technique of preserving trees from cutting down without harming logging appeared right here.
Good idea
Japan has long been famous for its china cedar wood. One of the noblest varieties, obtained using the daisugi technology, was distinguished by its higher density, strength and flexibility compared to ordinary cedar grown on the ground.
Then, back in the 14th century, lumberjacks came up with a method that made it possible to obtain both timber and huge amounts of land with forests not to plant or cut down trees. They called the brilliant idea "daisugi".
The source of inspiration was the peculiarity of the growth of this variety of cedars and the fashionable architectural direction of sukiya-zukuri.
What is the essence
This style required natural materials, especially wood. For houses built in this style, they used Chinese logs, straight and even. However, due to the lack of land for growing these trees in sufficient quantities, it was not possible to meet the demand. This is how the new technology appeared.
It is based on several aspects. The branches of the kitayama stretch straight up, vertically. Not a single bitch appears on them. The surface for such plants requires a perfectly flat surface. Therefore, the art of growing them resembles bonsai.
The idea of local lumberjacks was to cut as much as possible, not cut down the mother trunk. Only the most direct shoots were left on it. Every two years they were trimmed, leaving only the upper ones.
As a result, a few years later, the plant turned into a kind of yogi from the world of plants, balancing, sitting on the ground. Many ideally even young and thin "offspring" departed from the giant trunk.
Technology made art
Some of them were either cut or transplanted to another location. The mother trunk remained in place, continuing to supply material for further processing.
It took two decades to get full-value wood. The cedar grows for about 200-300 years. During this time, he gives several "harvests". The advantage of the technology is in perfectly flat, knot-free, smooth logs.
Have been using a good idea for more than one century. Currently, this technique is no longer used in Japan. Its popularity fell sharply back in the 16th century. Rare cedars have remained only in a few ornamental gardens, especially in Kyoto.
Such trees look amazing. On a huge mother trunk, the diameter of which reaches a diameter of 10-15 m over tens of years, thin graceful trees seem to balance.
