Regeneration of Damaged Coastal Forests Caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

Abstract

The Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami damaged the coastal forests in the large area in Japan. Especially, almost all the coastal forests were lost from Iwate Prefecture to Fukushima Prefecture. The coastal forests had served as a form of disaster prevention against wind, tide, and blown sand as well as provided landscape amenities and places for recreation until their multifaceted functions were entirely lost. Considering these lost functions, regeneration of these coastal forests is essential in the post-earthquake recovery process. It is desirable that these forests be regenerated not only for restoring them to their condition before the tsunami but also for improving them to be stronger against tsunami than before and to work effectively for tsunami damage reduction. I review the damage this tsunami has caused to coastal forests and the ways by which coastal forests may have reduced tsunami damages from the disaster prevention point of view. I also summarize characteristics of coastal forests as disaster prevention facilities and, finally, describe my thoughts on regeneration and recovery of coastal forests.