Most of us don't consider forests a source of pollution. As natural bodies, they should be good for the environment. But a recent study in Japan shows that older cedar¹ and cypress² plantations⁴ are causing as much pollution as a poorly managed agricultural field or urban setting. Masaaki Chiwa is the lead author of the study and an assistant professor at Kyushu University in Japan. According to Chiwa, the pollution is not the fault of the trees. It's the management of the plantations. In Japan, as in other countries, natural forests usually play a significant role in maintaining water quality.

 

"Many Japanese cedar and Japanese cypress plantations were established in the 1950s and 1960s--60% of those on private land," according to Chiwa. "These are not natural forests; they were meant for commercial purposes." 

 

At the time of their planting, there was a short supply of these trees. However, an increase in imports of other woods has affected⁵ prices of Japanese cedar and cypress and led to the decline in active plantation³ management. The result was overcrowded land with aging trees and little to no undergrowth. 

 

These older plantations are now a source of non-point nitrogen pollution according to the study. "Point" pollution comes from a single location; "non-point" pollution comes from a more diffuse⁶ area, such as these plantations. The nitrogen is flowing from the plantations during rainfalls or snowmelts into nearby bodies of water, causing algae⁷ blooms.

 

Where does all this nitrogen come from? Just like in a natural forest, needles fall from the aging trees and accumulate on the plantation floor. This is part of Mother Nature's way of recycling nutrients⁸. Earthworms and soil microbes decompose⁹ the needles and return the nutrients to the soil. Younger growth nearby finishes the process and takes up the nutrients.

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