Even though it was all washed away by the tsunami, "there is a mountain" Challenge forestry in Sanriku March 9, 20:11
"Everything was washed away by the tsunami, but the mountains remain. I want to build my own house using the trees in the mountains."
A man who started forestry in the wake of the words of the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake is in Minamisanriku Town, Miyagi Prefecture. ..
Minamisanriku is a town with a strong image of Sanriku's seafood, such as wakame seaweed, sea squirts, and seasonal seaweed, but forestry is now attracting attention.
"I want to make forestry a new industry and revitalize the town."
After the earthquake, we covered the new style of forestry that people who have moved to the town are working on.
(Sendai Broadcasting Station reporter Yudai Muto)
Due to the earthquake, Minamisanriku Town
"The place where my relatives' house was on TV was the sea."
Kei Watanabe (47), who worked at a log house maker in Tokyo at the time of the earthquake 11 years ago, watched TV immediately after the disaster. I looked back on the video of.
Minamisanriku-cho, where his grandmother's house is located, he visited many times as a child.
The earthquake killed more than 800 people, including related deaths.
Many houses in the town were washed away by the tsunami, causing enormous damage.
I quit my job and moved to Minamisanriku
April 4, nearly a month after the outbreak.
Mr. Watanabe drove from Tokyo to Minamisanriku.
Many relatives' homes have been washed away, and some are said to be missing.
Kei Watanabe
"It has changed so much that I don't even know where I came before. There were many bridges down. The village was destroyed and I didn't know where I was running anymore. There was also. "
Mr. Watanabe, who came to see the town for two nights and three days, is told by the residents and town staff that he wants someone to help him for a long time.
Although she once returned to Tokyo, she decides to quit her job and work as a long-term volunteer.
In June, she transferred her resident card and officially moved to Minamisanriku.
As a leader in evacuation shelter management, I worked hard to rebuild the disaster area.
Even though everything was washed away by the tsunami, "there is a mountain"
A year after he started volunteering in earnest, Mr. Watanabe began to receive consultations from residents affected by the tsunami to rebuild their homes.
"Everything was washed away by the tsunami, but the mountains remain. I want to build my own house using the trees in the mountains."
This word I heard from the victims.
It was an opportunity for Mr. Watanabe to start forestry.
Minamisanriku has a strong image of the sea of Sanriku, but in fact, 77% of the town is occupied by forests.
Some fishermen make a living by fishing while owning mountains.
Mr. Watanabe wondered if he could contribute to the town by utilizing the forest that remained without being washed away by the tsunami.
Mr. Watanabe established a volunteer group aiming to rebuild a house using local timber, involving a local sawmill and a construction company.
While helping people involved in forestry, I also went to Iwate prefecture and started learning the basics of forestry.
In 2014, he launched a limited liability company and became independent.
Now, we have been entrusted by seven houses, including neighbors, to manage about 30 hectares of forest.
What I noticed was the new style "self-cutting forestry"
Why was Mr. Watanabe, an amateur who had immigrated, able to start forestry in earnest?
It is said that the introduction of a new style of "self-cutting forestry" was a major factor.
"Self-cutting forestry" is attracting attention as it is an issue to secure a leader in forestry in various parts of the country.
Unlike traditional methods of logging with large machines where many workers get together, they work individually or in small groups.
A style in which only the necessary amount is cut and shipped without "clear cutting", which cuts all the trees on one side.
It is also easy for newcomers to enter because it is possible to work with relatively light equipment such as chainsaws and light trucks.
A wide range of work styles with a view to side jobs are possible, and it is spreading to the younger generation.
According to the Self-Cut Forestry Promotion Association, more than 50 local governments support training and insurance costs for those who are thinking of entering the market.
The number of people starting around 2016 began to increase, and it is said that more than 2,500 people are now working on it nationwide.
It seems that it is increasing year by year, mainly in the 30s to 40s.
According to Miyagi Prefecture, at least 80 people in the prefecture are engaged in "self-cutting forestry".
In Kesennuma City, which is located to the north of Minamisanriku, some people have decided to move by adopting this style of forestry, and the prefecture wants to further support such work styles and lead to a shortage of forestry workers and promotion of migration. is.
Aiming for sustainable forestry
Mr. Watanabe once again felt that there were many abandoned forests after starting forestry.
I thought it was important to expand the skirts in order to make the forestry sustainable.
We held a seminar to increase the number of people who work together on "self-cutting forestry", and so far about 15 people have started forestry in the prefecture with the guidance of Mr. Watanabe.
Kei Watanabe
"In order to broaden the base, it is natural for young people to go into the mountains for a little while doing volunteer work and other work only on weekends. I have various skills. I want to create a style in which new entrants make use of their knowledge and expand it steadily. "
Steps from the earthquake I want to convey
Mr. Watanabe always speaks at the seminar.
It is the appearance of Minamisanriku that I saw and heard after the earthquake.
Through the forestry experience, I would like to continue to convey the history from the earthquake and the importance of disaster prevention.
Kei Watanabe
"Forestry experience begins with telling us that there was a tsunami in this area and where to escape if the tsunami warning sounds. Because you will be able to think of it as your own thing. Disasters are not extraordinary, they are in everyday life, and nature gives tremendous benefits and sometimes damages, and we have to deal with them. I want you to feel what you shouldn't do. "
The base of forestry that has begun to expand
According to Minamisanriku Town, more than 100 people have migrated from 2016, when records remain, to January.
Reia Oba (31) from Tokyo is one of them.
I moved to Japan five years ago when she got married.
She started studying forestry last year after she met Mr. Watanabe.
Reia Oba
"The feelings you feel on the soles of your feet are different in spring, summer, autumn and winter, so the five senses are very active. It means" let's clean the forest in the area "or" protect the satoyama in the area ". If so, I think it's okay to have a way of interacting with the forest at your own pace, and I feel the possibility that people who are seriously involved in forestry will say, "I'm glad to have more friends." There "
Before moving to Japan, Mr. Oba has been involved with local governments nationwide as an advisor on community development.
A general incorporated association was established on March 1 with the aim of developing human resources and revitalizing the town by combining my own experience with forestry.
I am trying to find a way that is not bound by the conventional wisdom of forestry.
In addition to selling small trees that were left unattended in the mountains instead of building materials as firewood that is in high demand due to the outdoor boom, we are also considering a plan to have local children experience the chopping experience.
We are trying to reach out to a variety of people, including local businesses, governments, and professional forestry workers, and work with as many people as possible to tackle the challenges of forestry.
Reia Oba
"I would like to work with the members who say that it is a high hurdle to buy a mountain suddenly, and when the number of bearers decreases in the future, I would like to do activities to increase the human resources that we can do. People who can think together. However, if we can solve problems and work on fun things, I think that the forest may feel familiar to us. I wish I could become a model to do
Mr. Watanabe and Mr. Oba moved to Minamisanriku-cho in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake.
The appearance of these migrants trying to solve local problems together with the people who originally lived may be helpful not only in the affected areas but also in all areas where the population is declining.
How will the new forestry style that the two work on change the mountains of Sanriku and the lives of the region?
I would like to keep an eye on it in the future.
Sendai Broadcasting Station Reporter
Yudai Muto
Joined the station in 2017
After working at the Yamagata station, the
Sendai station started in November 2021.
He is currently in charge of administrative coverage such as Miyagi prefectural government.