Fukagawa Forest

Have you ever heard of the term “civil engineering heritage”? In this issue, we would like to introduce a civil engineering heritage associated with the town of Kenbuchi.

Winter in Hokkaido is a harsh environment for railroad operations. Even though weather forecasts have become more accurate and snow removal trucks are more capable, heavy snowfalls can cause the suspension of operations. Even today, this is the case, so it must have been very difficult in the Meiji period when railroads first began operating in Hokkaido. Especially on the Soya Line (at that time), whenever there was a snowstorm, the tracks were buried in an instant, and trains were frequently stranded.

The first settlers in Kenbuchi Town arrived in 1897. The following year, in 1900, the Soya Line opened and a station was built in Kenbuchi Town. At that time, the railroad was built by cutting through a forest of trees, but it is estimated that there were only sparse shrubs. At the end of the Meiji period (1868-1912), there was a heavy snowfall that greatly affected the operation of the railroad, which triggered large-scale tree planting along the Soya Line. In Honshu, the effect of planting trees alongside railway tracks to prevent snowfall had already been confirmed, and this was to be implemented in Hokkaido as well. The first tree to be planted here will be the Yachidamo, a local tree in Hokkaido. However, the area along the Soya Line is an over-humid peatland unsuitable for tree growth, with poor drainage and acidic soil. Growth is poor, and many trees have died. Experts are also worried. In the midst of this situation, Fuyutsuki Fukagawa, who was assigned for the second time as a forestry assistant at the Nayoro Railway Maintenance Office, proposed and carried out the planting of German spruce (also called European spruce, the tree used for the so-called “Christmas tree”). Although born in Ehime Prefecture, Toji was enrolled in the Mishima Agricultural and Forestry School of Ehime Prefecture and had a solid knowledge of trees. German spruce is a large tree that grows quickly and its lower branches do not die easily, making it ideal for snowbreak forests. However, over-humid peat soils are also bad for spruce. So, at the winter solstice, the acidic soil was amended and numerous drainage channels were constructed. The drains were used to dam drainage water and provide irrigation during the summer months when rainfall was light. Throughout the year, Fuyusi visited the site, paying close attention to the number and depth of drainage channels in each location.

Fuyuki died at the young age of 45 due to an illness caused by overwork. However, even after his death, spruce trees grew well. In 1942, the “Soya Line Kenbuchi/Shibetsu Railway Snowbreak Forest (Fukagawa Forest)” was completed as a magnificent 12.7 km snowbreak forest. This technology was adopted in other areas and contributed to stable railroad transportation not only on the Soya Line, but also on all subsequent lines in Hokkaido. The 12.7 km of Fukagawa Forest, covering 68.4 ha, was recognized as a Civil Engineering Heritage Site by the Japan Society of Civil Engineers in 2005 (subsequently recognized by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry as a Modern Civil Engineering Heritage Site). (Later, it was also selected as a Heritage of Industrial Modernization by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.)

The name “Fukagawa Forest Land” was given by Ayao Kumagawa, Director of the Wakkanai Administration Department of the Sapporo Railway Bureau (later Mayor of Muroran City) in 1943, the year Fuyusi passed away, in honor of his achievements. Locally, a wooden monument was erected in Kenbuchi Town in honor of the winter solstice, but after it decayed, a stone monument was erected at the present site (about 600 m north of Kenbuchi Station) in 1966. This is the photo in this article. The site is so dense with spruce and other plantations that one has to get very close to see it. From such a place or from the heavens, the winter solstice still watches over this place and all of Hokkaido.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)