Japan to Replace Cedars
Many people I know have hay fever caused by the pollen of cedars. I read in the news that this allergy is believed to affect about 40 percent of Japan's current population, causing symptoms such as a runny nose, sneezing, and itchy eyes, mainly in the spring. Apparently, these allergies only affected about 23 percent of the population in 1998, but has been steadily increasing since 1970, according to a nationwide survey of Ear, Nose, and Throat doctors.
A large number of cedar trees were planted after World War II in order to meet the demand for more housing. Now, without the great demand for houses made of wood, Japan wants to speed up replacing cedar forests with trees that produce less pollen, in order to tackle the hay fever problem. The goal is to reduce the cedar tree areas by about 20 percent by fiscal 2033. To achieve this goal, the government needs to secure a labor force for logging work, create a demand for cedar lumber, and increase the production of low-pollen seedlings. Sounds like a big job!
3 comments:
Cedar is beautiful wood! But it's usually pretty pricey.
Japan is a country of innovation - many new usages of cedar wood will be found, I'm sure of it.
What trees will replace the cedars? Many times actions in the environment have negative unintended consequences. Perhaps a rare animal or butterfly depends on the cedar trees and will become extinct. Who knows?
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