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Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research

Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research

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Peer-reviewed publication

Dimensions and Spatial Distribution of Remnant Garcinia subelliptica Tree Belts Surrounding Homesteads in a Coastal Village: A Case Study of Shiraho Village, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan

The aim of the present study was to compile an inventory of dimensions and spatial distribution of remnant old-growth Fuguki trees planted along the borderlines of homesteads as windbreaks hundreds of years ago in Shiraho village, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. We measured 2,447 Fukugi trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) of at least 5 cm. Mean tree height, DBH, and estimated tree age were 7.16 m, 24.3 cm, and 96 years, respectively. The total number of trees and tree dimensions were similar to those in our previously surveyed sites. However, approximately half of the surveyed trees were planted on the east sides of houses, probably to protect them from strong winds blowing from the Pacific Ocean in the east. A broad distribution of old trees in the village suggests that a proportion of the Fukugi trees may have been established long before and may have survived the Meiwa Tsunami in 1771.