Rescuing 100 trees set to be cut down at Japanese elementary school

Japan is endowed with greenery as 67% of its land is covered with forests. Yet it ranks 50th in the Climate Change Performance Index, below countries such as Egypt, Colombia, South Africa and Belarus. The low-level rating stems from insufficient actions to meet the 2030 emission target, be it the phasing out of coal power production or effective carbon pricing and renewable energy policies.

Now, even the abundance of trees is under threat in Japan. Last year, the metropolitan government of Tokyo approved the redevelopment plan in the Jingu Gaien (“outer-shrine garden”) district. This plan involves the destruction of nearly 1,000 trees, many of them 100+ years old. The oasis in central Tokyo has provided a refuge from the heat island effect, reducing the surface temperature as much as 18℃ (64°F), according to Greenpeace.

This is not an isolated decision. In nearby Arisugawa-no-miya Memorial Park, 328 trees have been cut down, without notification to residents. Similar plans are under way in Hibiya Park, Shiba Park, Tokyo Sea Life Park and other public spaces.

Last-minute intervention by Japanese moms

Kunitachi in western Tokyo is known for tree-lined streets, which draws many visitors admiring cherry blossoms every spring. In 2021, parents of the Second Kunitachi City Elementary School were notified of the plan to cut down 100 of 160 trees on the school premises as part of its renovation plan. Their request to spare the trees was not heeded, on the grounds that the city had already finalized the blueprint. All they could think of in response was to set up an arts and craft group for recycling and reusing wood chips.

Then, in November 2022, some of these parents came across a documentary entitled “Moribito (“Forest Protector”) on the work of Tomonori Yano. Yano, a trained landscape designer, has pioneered a new approach to reenergize trees and plants. It improves air and water circulations underneath and above the ground and thereby regenerates earth, the foundation of all (I will write more about “Moribito” and Yano in a separate article). The film’s director, Setsuko Maeda, happens to be a resident of Kunitachi, and in February 2023, the concerned parents turned to her for help.

Maeda consulted Yano, who offered a surprising counterproposal: relocating trees for the duration of the renovation. With his methods, trees can be uprooted, preserved and replanted in the schoolyard next year. In April 2023, Yano, Maeda and a small group of parents and other volunteers met with skeptical city officials. “Perhaps one can be saved as a symbolic measure” was their opening line. The group did not give up, however. After hours of negotiation, the city finally gave a green light for the rescue attempt, as long as it could be completed within four days. The group began to sprint. The first batch of 40 trees was scheduled to be cut down in less than two weeks.

Saving trees = saving ourselves

The unprecedented rescue project started on May 3. Experts trained in Yano’s methodology gathered from all over the country, as far as from Hokkaido. Each tree was trimmed, wrapped and gathered to support one another standing on the moat of old bamboo trunks, charcoals and other natural materials. Shaved-off branches and leaves were turned into chips, which were then scattered to cover the roots. Nothing went to waste, in other words.

After four days of hard labor, nearly 40 trees were saved from the fate of destruction. They are now resting, and the citizen group visits them in the evening hours to check their condition. The group is also raising funds to cover the cost of relocation, as well as eventual replanting, subject to further negotiation with the city.

While we speak of “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” “diversity” and “environmental education” in schools, do we act on them ourselves? Cutting down the trees that still exist for the sake of expediency and replacing them with new trees, as if life is disposable, seems to be opposite of what we tell our children. This project may be a small stone thrown into the bigger tide of the current business model. However, it has a ripple effect in showing us what can be done in our communities, even against daunting odds.

If you would like to contribute to this project, visit Motion Gallery site.