Mon, Sep 30, 2002 page2

• In the shadow of the giants

  Atayal Aboriginals had passed the legend of 'a temple' of giant cypress trees down through the generations. Now environmentist and photographer Lai Chun-piao has discovered the forest of which they spoke and is uncovering some of nature's secrets

  • By Chiu Yu-tzu / STAFF REPORTER
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  Lai Chun-piao (賴春標), along with a Public Television Service (PTS) team and Aboriginal people, discovered a legendary forest of giant Taiwan cypress earlier this month.

  The discovery of the trees, some of which are more than 1,000 years old, came after Lai and his team explored the northern part of Hsuehshan (雪山, Snow Mountain).

  Conservationists say the forest's uniqueness makes it eligible for being named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

  

  An individual is dwarfed by a Taiwan-red-cypress giant estimated to be about 3,000 years old.

  PHOTO: LAI CHUN-PIAO

  Among seven kinds of cypress in the world -- all fall under the genus Chamaecyparis -- Taiwan red cypress and Taiwan cypress are indigenous to the island. Others are distributed throughout North America and Japan.

  According to Lai, numerous mature Taiwan cypress,dense in an area of more than 1,000 hectares, could be between 1,000 and 2,000 years old. Lai bases his estimate on tree trunks that range in diameter from 1.5m to 3m.

  "A divine `temple' of Taiwan cypress deep in the forest, which has been described by the Atayal people for many generations, does in fact exist," Lai said.

  

  A couple examines trees estimated to be 500 to 2,000 years old.

  PHOTO: KE CHIN-YUAN, PTS

  Lai added that a comprehensive study being conducted by ecologists may further prove the value of such rare natural forests.

  The stunning discovery can be attributed to a two-year on-site investigation carried out by Lai, 49, an ecological photographer who has spent 18 years in mountainous areas gathering details of the history of Taiwan cypress and Taiwan red cypress.

  In the 1910s, when Taiwan was a Japanese colony, cypress became a precious commodity for Japan to meet increasing demand.

  

  An individual walks through a grove of Taiwan hinoki false-cypress that was discovered earlier this month.

  PHOTO: LAI CHUN-PIAO

  Under KMT rule, a wholesale logging of Taiwan cypress was carried out in the 1950s. Harvesting of the cypress trees continued until 1989 when a moratorium took effect.

  Seeing many mountainous areas over-exploited, conservationists launched a forest-protection movement in Taiwan in 1988. The calls came as Western environmentalism was gradually influencing a society just freed from decades of martial law.

  In late 1990s, conservationists and Aboriginal people demanded the establishment of a national park around Chilan Mountain (棲蘭山) that would cover four counties. The establishment of Makao National Park (馬告國家公園), however, is still hampered by diverse opinions on local participation and management strategies.

  

  Light shines through the canpoy of Taiwan hinoki false-cypress.

  PHOTO: LAI CHUN-PIAO

  In looking at the history of Taiwan's forests, conservationists realized that documents and pictures were lacking.

  By reviewing old documents and photos recorded by the Japanese, Lai came to believe that giant Taiwan cypress trees were not just the stuff of Atayal legend, but still existed in some unexplored part of the nation.

  One of focuses of the Taiwan Forest Culture and History Work-shop (台灣山林文史工作室), which Lai leads, is to uncover the history of Taiwan cypress.

  Late last month and into this month, Lai and a news team from PTS headed for the forests of Hsuehshan to look for the Taiwan cypress described as a "temple" by Atayal Aborigines.

  Each day, explorers climbed the rugged mountains, entering areas that would take outsiders eight hours to reach.

  According to Ke Chin-yuan (柯金源), a senior PTS news producer, the first glimpse of the giant Taiwan hinoki false-cypress came after a great deal of climbing and walking.

  In an area upstream of the Lanyang River (蘭陽溪), explorers were stunned by the giant cypress.

  "Never had I thought that the `temple' would be discovered during our adventure," Ke said.

  Ke said the discovery of this "temple" of Taiwan hinoki false-cypress shows that the island is actually a place of treasures given to us by Heaven.

  During their journey, the team discovered at least five giant cypress sites. The total area of the cypress forest is unknown.

  Kuo Chen-meng (郭城孟), a botanist at National Taiwan University, said that ecosystems preserved in the newly discovered forest deserve more study because the area contains important information regarding climate and biology during ice ages and inter-glacial ages.

  Scientific research suggests that the cypress originated during Triassic Period of the Miocene Epoch about 200 million years ago. As global temperatures dropped, the polar ice sheets gradually expanded and life forms adapted by migrating southward. The belt stretching from the Himalayas to Taiwan was then the largest sanctuary for various life forms.

  "In the rare forest of Taiwan cypress, we can also see many rare types of ferns, which are delivering precious messages of scientific value," Kuo said.

  In addition, many tress described as "living fossils," such as Taiwania (台灣杉), Konishi-fir (香杉), Taiwan yew (台灣紅豆杉) and Taiwan plumyew (台灣粗榧) can be found in the cypress forest.

  Lai said that the last thing he wants to see is illegal logging carried out by "mountain rats," or people who pursue profits without thinking of what kind of environment they will be leaving future generations.

  "The protection of the forest in Chilan can be only carried out by locals with respect for nature," Lai said.

  Lai added that Japan adopted strict protection rules after making an examination of past logging practices.

  Lin Leh-chyun (林樂群), director of the PTS news department, said that the newly discovered cypress forest is like a second Alishan.

  "However, Taiwan has to protect this gift from being hurt this time," Lin said.

  For your information

  On TV

  * To promote ecological awareness, the PTS news feature ``Our Island,'' produced by Jacky Liu (劉世傑), will be broadcast on channel 53 from 10pm to 11pm tonight. The program details the discovery of the cypress forest. * From today to Wednesday, the PTS evening news will run short pieces describing the discovery at 9pm.
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