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Daisugi, the Japanese technique of growing trees out of other trees (2020)
21–30 of 61 posts
Re: Daisugi, the Japanese technique of growing trees out of other trees (2020)
#22Interesting technique, horrible article. Manages to convey significantly less information than the X thread it mined for ad revenue. https://xcancel.com/wrathofgnon/status/1250287741247426565
Not sure that's entirely fair - openculture.com is usually pretty good, and the article draws on multiple sources. But I take your word for it that the twitter thread is good and have added it to the top text.
Re: Daisugi, the Japanese technique of growing trees out of other trees (2020)
#23Isn't this just Pollarding and/or Coppicing, which have been practiced for at least 2000 years in Europe (and probably many other cultures as well), with a healthy dose of orientalism added on top?
>with a healthy dose of orientalism added on top Also known as 'Thing, Japan'. HN eats up articles like this every single week. https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/thing-japan
This is such an interesting subtext. I think the original comment was a bit unfair to call it "just pollarding," at the least it's a very specific subtype that has its own culture and clear uniqueness.
Your comment feels somewhat reductive as well, you could basically replace "Japan" with a lot of things that are appreciated by some sizable subset of HN readers.
But, for some reason Japan does seem to inspire a certain fervor in both the otakus and weeaboos and their inverses. I think it's because it's the closest thing to an alien civilization for Westerners.
Re: Daisugi, the Japanese technique of growing trees out of other trees (2020)
#24I don't quite understand -- what is it about this technique that makes the trees grow perfectly straight and why is > the lumber produced in this method is 140% as flexible as standard cedar and 200% as dense/strong, ?
It’s exploiting the natural tendency of trees to create “waterspouts” through a technique called pollarding. When a tree suffers an injury it creates a bunch of new twigs that tend to grow straight upwards if the injury is on the upper branches. The waterspouts grow more slowly and so in this species of cedar they develop those desirable properties.
It is actually a type of cypress, not a cedar.
Re: Daisugi, the Japanese technique of growing trees out of other trees (2020)
#25Isn't this just Pollarding and/or Coppicing, which have been practiced for at least 2000 years in Europe (and probably many other cultures as well), with a healthy dose of orientalism added on top?
>with a healthy dose of orientalism added on top Also known as 'Thing, Japan'. HN eats up articles like this every single week. https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/thing-japan
If it makes you feel any better, the reverse holds as well. Grass is greener mentality exists everywhere.
Re: Daisugi, the Japanese technique of growing trees out of other trees (2020)
#26Isn't this just Pollarding and/or Coppicing, which have been practiced for at least 2000 years in Europe (and probably many other cultures as well), with a healthy dose of orientalism added on top?
Looks more advanced than simple pollarding. I have never seen this kind of straight, tall tree tops in Europe. If it exists I would like to know!
Re: Daisugi, the Japanese technique of growing trees out of other trees (2020)
#27Isn't this just Pollarding and/or Coppicing, which have been practiced for at least 2000 years in Europe (and probably many other cultures as well), with a healthy dose of orientalism added on top?
Are coppicing and pollarding used at all to produce timber? I had the impression that it was done only to make firewood, and was cut repeatedly without letting it grow like described in the article.
Ben Law in the UK used a sweet chestnut coppice as timbers for his house. Done properly coppicing can not only produce renewable and sustainable timber, but it is one of the only woodland management techniques that has significant positive impact on the ecology of the woodland in which it is practiced.
Re: Daisugi, the Japanese technique of growing trees out of other trees (2020)
#28Isn't this just Pollarding and/or Coppicing, which have been practiced for at least 2000 years in Europe (and probably many other cultures as well), with a healthy dose of orientalism added on top?
Looks more advanced than simple pollarding. I have never seen this kind of straight, tall tree tops in Europe. If it exists I would like to know!
It is more intensive and aesthetic but functionally I believe it’s exactly the same.
Re: Daisugi, the Japanese technique of growing trees out of other trees (2020)
#29I thought this was the name of a new startup
Re: Daisugi, the Japanese technique of growing trees out of other trees (2020)
#30I don't quite understand -- what is it about this technique that makes the trees grow perfectly straight and why is > the lumber produced in this method is 140% as flexible as standard cedar and 200% as dense/strong, ?
They grow straight because they are shoots/suckers, and that's how tree biology works. And they are pruned every two years to prevent knots and side branches.
The lumber is dense/strong because the shoots have a robustness advantage due to being part of a mature tree with all its resources.