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Japanese ‘snow monsters’ are near to extinction

Wednesday, January 9, 2019

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The immensely popular “snow monsters” that lives in the mountains of Zao are nearing extinction and it could spell disaster for tourism in that part of Yamagata Prefecture, in north Japan.

 

For several years, “snow monsters” – unique formations that happen when a fine mist of water from clouds over the warmer Sea of Japan engulfs evergreen trees and then freezes, have been region’s one of the prime attractions. Currently, however, the coniferous trees have got infected with bark beetles and caterpillars that becomes a moth of the Gelechiidae family.

 

In 2013, for the first time, the 3mm-long palmerworm caterpillar was identified on the trees of this region, causing an infestation of beetles on trees that were badly harmed. The issue was already disturbing regional forest authorities to carry on a study.

 

That first round of investigation came to a conclusion that 45 of the 60 trees close to the Jizo Sancho Station, had been severely damaged. By 2018, every one of the trees examined had been damaged and the area impacted had spread to lower levels of the mountain.

 

The insects have damaged the trees. This means that they have lost their foliage and the snow is no more in a position to build up on their branches. Dead limbs often break the trunk under the weight of any snow that gathers, meaning the curious snow shapes known as “snow monsters” will no longer form.

 

“The snow monsters have been a really important part of the local tourism industry and images of the trees have been used to promote Yamagata to travellers around the world,” said Chiaki So, an official of the Yamagata Tourism Association.

 

“If a solution cannot be found, it is going to be a very serious problem because the snow monsters are such a draw,” she said. “We get a lot of people coming here to ski, but more and more of our visitors – especially those from China, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore – don’t come to ski or do other winter sports; they come to see the snow monsters.”

 

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