Yagishiri Island - Forest of Yagishiri

Forest of Yagishiri

Yagishiri Island is noted its dense forest. The island was once completely covered with trees, but major parts of the forest were used for housing and other construction with the start of the trade of Pacific herring in the late 18th century. A prohibition was put in place on the cutting of trees on the island in 1880 to prevent the complete deforestation of the island. Shortly afterward, in 1886, two thirds of the forest of Yagishiri was lost to a fire. The island has been significantly reforested, with the Uguisu Valley in the center of the island remaining untouched by development or fire. Climatic conditions on the Japan Sea keep the canopy of the forest, specifically in the Uguisu Valley, as low as 10 metres (33 ft), and the trunks of various species of trees in he forest are correspondingly thick. The forest is homes to 50 species of trees, but Yagishiri Island is noted for its unspoiled stands of Taxus cuspidata, the Japanese Yew. The forest of Yagishiri is a protected natural monument of Japan, and the entirety of the island is protected as a part of Shokanbetsu-Teuri-Yagishiri Quasi-National Park.