Coastal Forest and Town Damage in Iwate Prefecture, Japan, following the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake Tsunami

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  • Hoshino Daisuke
    Tohoku Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences

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  • 東北地方太平洋沖地震津波による岩手県沿岸の海岸林と集落の被害状況
  • トウホク チホウ タイヘイヨウオキ ジシン ツナミ ニ ヨル イワテケン エンガン ノ カイガンリン ト シュウラク ノ ヒガイ ジョウキョウ

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Abstract

The coastal forest and town damage in Iwate prefecture, Japan, following the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake Tsunami were surveyed at 14 sites by field observation and aerial photographs. Of the sites, 10 were almost destroyed by the Tsunami; however, four towns sustained only slight damage, despite the destruction of adjacent coastal forest and breaching of the sea wall. The common factor of the four towns was the large distance (≧about 600 m) to the coast line. Furthermore, two towns were located at a high elevation (≧18 m) and had expansive open spaces, such as paddies, at lower elevations. On the other hand, two towns located at lower elevations (≦10 m) were protected by a thick coastal forest zone (about 1 km) and a sea wall. These findings suggest that land use designation and the existence of coastal forest are important for protecting coastal towns from a tsunami.

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