JapanFlux2024 JP-Ta2 Takayama evergreen coniferous forest site

The Takayama evergreen coniferous forest site is located approximately 13 km east of the Takayama City, in the central part of Japan's main island. This region belongs to a cool-temperate zone under the influence of the Asian monsoon climate. It is characterized by mild humid springs and autumns, hot humid summers, and cold snowy winters.Snow typically covers the ground from December to March/April. The study site is located at a mid-slope position in a valley and includes a 30 m tower and a 0.15 ha ecological research plot.The forest surrounding the tower mainly consists of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) and Japanese cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa). This forest covers most of the 2 km2 area surrounding the study site; however, deciduous forest, croplands, a few houses, and roads are also present in patches, mainly from the northwestern to northeastern side. The fetch length from the tower varies with wind direction and ranges from 100 to 1000 m.
The evergreen conifers were planted between 1965 to1967. The understorey is sparsely covered by shrubs, herbs, and ferns. The soil parent material at the ecological research plot is a volcanic ash deposit, and the soil type is of the Dystric Cambisol type with a dominant soil texture of clay loam. In 2005, the forest stand density was 1,027 trees/ha, with 151 Japanese cedar and three Japanese cypress trees in the permanent ecological plot. In mid-December 2014, a moderate snow disturbance occurred. As a result, many trees were damaged by the heavy moist snow that covered the forest canopy.