What is daisugi, or How to get wood without deforestation

Deforestation has long been a huge problem for our planet. No matter how hard we try to replace wood with artificial materials and recyclables, it is not possible to do without it yet. Although the technology of obtaining natural wood without cutting down has existed for a very long time. The ancient Japanese daisugi method makes it possible to obtain valuable material without destroying plants. Scientists hope that with its help someday we will stop the destruction of forests.

Daisugi is a very ancient and at the same time very impressive forestry technology. The first mention of it dates back to the 14th century. According to ancient documents, daisugi was invented in the city of Kyoto on the island of Honshu, which at that time was the capital of Japan.

It happened not at all from a good life, but because of the lack of places to grow forests in the highlands. The fact that the trees in the vicinity of Kyoto were of poor quality also played a big role.

For the construction of real Japanese houses, taruki — beams supporting the roof are needed. These are perfectly smooth and devoid of knots beams. Trees in mountainous areas grow crooked and gnarled, so they are not suitable for construction.

Daisugi technique or as it is also called "cedar on the platform" solved the problem. Cedar is not mentioned here in vain, since this method is used only with the coniferous tree of Kitayama or Japanese red cedar. Daisugi requires patience and diligence from the forester. The technique consists in constant pruning of branches according to a special scheme. Only the upper ones remain intact, without bends and twigs.

The shoots grow from the mother tree vertically upwards. From the appearance of the sprout to the moment when the branch can be cut down, 20-30 years pass. All this time, the growth of the escape is monitored and corrected.

The resulting trunks are ideal for construction, furniture production and other critical tasks. It is also important that daisuga trunks grow faster than young trees planted in the ground — they receive nourishment from a large tree.

Thanks to daisugi, everyone can exhale. Consumers of wood receive the highest grade material, environmentalists are happy that only branches are cut instead of wood, and patriots are glad that the ancient native Japanese tradition has not sunk into oblivion. And aesthetes are also delighted. Daisugi is used to create fantastic multi-tiered landscape compositions.

Daisugi technology is related to Japanese bonsai art. The methods used are practically the same, only the goals are different.