RIKUZENTAKATA, Iwate Prefecture -- A resilient pine tree, a lone survivor of the deadly March 11 tsunami, is now in critical condition--and the outlook is bleak.
RIKUZENTAKATA, Iwate Prefecture -- A resilient pine tree, a lone survivor of the deadly March 11 tsunami, is now in critical condition--and the outlook is bleak.
Of the tens of thousands of pine trees that lined Takata Matsubara beach, a popular scenic destination in this city, all but one were torn from their roots by the killer waves.
Local residents regarded the surviving tree as a symbol of reconstruction.
But the inspirational tree has recently taken a turn for the worse.
According to the Tokyo-based Greenery Research and Development Center, which has been working to protect the tree, buds that emerged since the disaster six months ago have withered and its pine cones are discolored.
The health of the tree was last studied on Sept. 4.
It has not been producing resin, and all its leaves have turned brown, said a center official, noting that its roots were damaged and have lost the ability to absorb nutrients.
The official said the tree had not adapted to the scorching heat this summer and that likely there is nothing that can be done.
There are plans to study the tree again in early October to see if it can be revived somehow.
Takata Matsubara is a 2-kilometer sandy beach that was previously dotted with tens of thousands of pine trees.