baumzaehlen - Primeval Forests & Their Trees

Shiretoko National Park, Japan

Shiretoko is a peninsula in the northeastern corner of Hokkaido. Shiretoko National Park became a World Heritage Site in 2005. This has resulted in a marked increase in visitors, so in the most popular places, such as Shiretoko Go-Ko, at peak periods there are such dense crowds of Japanese tourists that moving can be difficult. However, most of the park is very wild.

Annual precipitation is 1000–1400 mm and at least parts of the park can be called temperate rainforest ¹ .

What makes tree identification problematic is that Japanese identification guides are unreadable for most westerners. However they have superb photos (better than in any western book I have seen), and identification is often possible simply by comparing photos. J. Ohwi’s old “Flora of Japan” (in English) helps, too. Otherwise tree identification is not difficult. The forests are mostly mixed; the most common tree species include Abies sachalinensis (Sakhalin fir), Betula ermanii (Erman´s birch) and Quercus mongolica (Mongolian oak). Above the forest limit Pinus pumila (Siberian dwarf pine) grows in almost impenetrable thickets. Unlike most other conifers, it is able to resprout from roots, thereby spreading over slopes ² . At lower elevations off-trail hiking can also be difficult, due to the many steep slopes.

CAUTION: Toxicodendron orientale (Asian poison ivy) is common i n the undergrowth of these forests. Touching the plant can cause a severe allergic reaction.

Ticks are very abundant in places.

References:

1 DellaSala, D. A. (ed.). 2011: Temperate and Boreal Rainforests of the World. Island Press.

2 Farjon, A. (2008): A Natural History of Conifers. Timber Press.

Official sites:

http://www.env.go.jp/en/nature/nps/park/parks/shiretoko.html

http://www.biodic.go.jp/english/jpark/np/siretoko_e.html