Northeast China is known as the "Land of Longxing" and has abundant forest resources. However, in the dark years of the 30s of the last century, this once green and green land suffered unprecedented destruction. In order to meet the needs of the war, the Japanese invaders carried out frenzied plundering and logging of the forest area in the northeast. How did they systematically plan and carry out this ecological catastrophe? How staggering was the amount of looted timber? Is it true that the legend that Japan had nowhere to pile up this timber and sank it into the sea? Let's find out.
Japan had long planned and carefully deployed
Japan has a long history of coveting the forest resources of northeastern China. As early as 1904, on the eve of the Russo-Japanese War, Japan set up an investigative agency "Mantetsu" dedicated to the Tohoku region. The agency's headquarters are located in Tokyo, and its branches are stationed in Dalian and other places, and are responsible for systematic surveys of the northeastern forest area.
The Manchurian railway investigators went into the northern part of Changbai Mountain, Anji, Jingyu, Yanji, Helong, Dunhua and other places to make detailed statistics on the local forest area and the distribution of tree species. They also carried out investigations along the Yalu River, Fushun and Tonghua lines, and drew a map of the distribution of forest areas in Northeast China. Sadly, at the time China was in the midst of a warlord war, government agencies turned a blind eye to Japanese espionage, and even some opportunists gave the green light to it.
As a result of these surveys, Japan has a better understanding of the forests of Tohoku than China itself. The book "State-owned Forestry Management Plan" was compiled on the basis of the investigation report of the Manchurian Railway. This book not only records the area and stock of each forest area in Northeast China in detail, but also marks the distribution area of high-quality forest trees, so as to prepare for future plunder.
After the 918 Incident, Japan began to build a railway in Tohoku. In 1931, three railway lines in Jilin were forcibly plundered. By 1932, most of the railway rights in Tohoku were under almost total Japanese control.
With the railway, the transportation of timber was easily solved. In order to speed up the harvesting process, the Japanese army also built light railways on the existing railway lines, extending their tentacles deeper into the dense forest.
At the same time, Japan set up a special forestry management agency in Tohoku, monopolizing the power of the entire forest area. At first, the "Yalu River Timber Mining Company" was the dominant company, and later the "Manchuria Forestry Co., Ltd." was established. These agencies hold the enforcement power of the forest police, and any private enterprises that try to interfere will be driven out of the forest area.
By the time of the Puppet Manchurian period, the Manchurian Forestry Co., Ltd. was dispersed into more than 400 public institutions, all over the northeast, and completely dominated the mining of the entire forest area.
From investigation to road construction, from monopolizing power to deploying manpower, Japan had premeditated and made full preparations for plundering the forest areas in northeast China. Everything is ready, just wait for the starting gun to go off, and you can invade in a big way.
Indiscriminate deforestation is in the ascendant
Once the Japanese gained a foothold in the northeast, their plundering of the woods intensified and became more ruthless. Initially, the Japanese used so-called "sweeping" logging, and all the forests along the 25-kilometer radius on both sides of the railway were completely cut down.
Along the Yajiang River, the once lush primeval forest area has also suffered. The "Yalu River Timber Company" established by the Japanese army monopolized the management of forest land in this area, completely stifling the timber business of local Chinese businessmen. Twenty years of excessive logging have wiped out the scenery on both sides of the Yalu River, leaving only barren mountains and bald mountains.
In addition to selling timber for profit, the Japanese army also vigorously developed the paper industry. The northeast forest area is rich in tree species, and there are countless varieties that can be used as wood pulp raw materials, so on the eve of "918", the Japanese army set up a paper mill on the Yalu River. At its peak, the mill produced more than 30,000 tonnes of pulp per year, consuming a large amount of precious wood.
However, the Japanese army's greed for high-quality tree species was endless. They prioritize the felling of precious species such as Korean pine and spruce, and salivate over military timber such as ash, walnut and yellow pineapple. When harvesting, the Japanese army only selected high-quality timber without knots, and discarded the rest and left it to wither.
What's even more terrifying is that the Japanese army never cleaned up the debris of the forest farm after harvesting, and let it run wild. This wanton destruction not only affects the self-renewal of forests, but also causes great harm to the local ecological environment. In the Yalu River basin, for example, in 1932 35 percent of the total forest harvest in Northeast China was 1 percent, but by 1935 it was only 1 percent.
Entering the puppet Manchu period, the plundering behavior of the Japanese army reached the peak of madness. In 1935, the Japanese puppet authorities issued the "State-Owned Logging Program", which expanded the scope of logging to the entire northeast. In order to facilitate the "elimination of the guerrillas", the 25 kilometers on both sides of the railway were completely cut down.
After that, the Japanese army set its sights on Changbai Mountain and other forest areas. They set up logging sites deep in the mountains and forests, and carried out systematic slaughter of valuable tree species such as Korean pine and spruce. Not only that, but the Japanese army also forcibly conscripted a large number of laborers into the forest, destroying and enslaving in inhuman labor conditions.
In 1941, the Japanese army launched the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the war entered a white-hot phase. In order to meet military needs, they adopted the "plucking" type of plundering in the northeast, and the "sweeping" type of logging for ordinary tree species, and the forest area suffered an unprecedented catastrophe.
The scale of harvesting is gradually expanding
The plundering of the northeastern forest area by the Japanese army can be divided into three stages. The first phase was from 1932 to 1937, during which the Japanese army's demand for timber was relatively limited, and the official agencies involved in the harvesting were dominant.
At that time, the Japanese army set up special institutions such as the "Yalu River Timber Mining Company" in the northeast, and monopolized the management rights of the entire forest area. These agencies hold the enforcement powers of the forest police, and any private enterprises that try to interfere will be expelled from the forest areas.
At this stage, although the northeast forest area has been damaged to a certain extent, it has not yet reached the point of being out of control.
However, as the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression continued to escalate, the demand for timber by the Japanese army also increased. From 1938 to 1941, the second phase was entered. During this period, due to over-exploitation of the Yalu River forest area, the yield dropped sharply, and the Japanese army had to turn their attention to the primitive forest areas in Changbai Mountain and other places.
In order to facilitate mining, the Japanese army built a number of logging sites in the depths of Changbai Mountain, and carried out systematic slaughter of valuable tree species such as Korean pine and spruce. They do not hesitate to destroy the ecological environment and arbitrarily discard the remnants of the branches.
At the same time, large numbers of laborers were forcibly conscripted into the forest and enslaved in inhumane conditions.
In 1941, the Japanese army launched the Pearl Harbor attack, and the war entered a white-hot stage. This also kicked off the third phase of the plundering of the northeastern forest area. In order to meet military needs, the Japanese army adopted the "plucking hair" type of plundering in the northeast, and the "sweeping" type of logging for ordinary tree species, and the forest area suffered an unprecedented catastrophe.
At this stage, the Japanese army not only increased the harvesting efforts of official institutions, but also began to allow private enterprises to participate in it. At its peak, there were more than 400 logging units scattered throughout the Northeast.
Among them, the coniferous forest area in Heilongjiang is the hardest hit area, with an annual output of 80-110 cubic meters.
It is worth mentioning that in the process of logging, the Japanese army often only selects high-quality timber without knots, and discards the rest. This wanton destruction not only affects the self-renewal of forests, but also causes great harm to the local ecological environment.
In the Yalu River basin, for example, in 1932 35 percent of the total forest harvest in Northeast China was 1 percent, but by 1935 it was only 1 percent.
It can be seen that the ruthlessness of the Japanese army's plundering of the northeast forest area is indeed shocking.
Disastrous plunder figures
The plundering of the Japanese army in the northeastern forest area has dealt a devastating blow to the local ecological environment. According to statistics, in the 14 years from 1931 to 1945, the Japanese army stole up to 100 million cubic meters of wood from the northeast.
This staggering figure was equivalent to one-eighth of Japan's land area at the time.
At the same time, the forest area in the northeastern forest area is decreasing. In 1929, the three northeastern provinces also had more than 36 million hectares of forest land, with a forest stock of more than 4 billion cubic meters.
By 1942, however, the area of forest land had been reduced by more than 6 million hectares, and the stock had fallen by 400 million cubic metres.
This large-scale logging has brought the precious tree species resources in the northeast forest area to the brink of extinction. In the Yalu River basin, for example, in 1932 35 percent of the total forest harvest in Northeast China was 1 percent, but by 1935 it was only 1 percent.
It can be seen that the ruthlessness of the Japanese army's destruction of the forest area is indeed shocking.
In addition to cutting down trees, the Japanese army also wantonly destroyed the ecology of the forest area. They never clean up the debris of the forest after harvesting, and let it go. This practice not only affects the self-renewal of the forest, but also causes great harm to the local environment.
As a result, a large number of rare wild animals have been left homeless and endangered. The former lush primeval forest area has been turned into a barren mountain and bald ridge under the indiscriminate felling of the Japanese army.
However, even with such a large amount, the Japanese army still had nowhere to stack these timbers. Rumor has it that they actually sank some of the timber off the coast of Japan to solve the stockpile problem.
Although this statement lacks conclusive evidence, it is not impossible judging from the crazy style of the Japanese army back then.
In general, the plundering of the Japanese army in the northeastern forest area has brought a devastating blow to the local ecological environment. Large areas of forest have been cut down, precious tree species are on the verge of extinction, and wildlife is left homeless. All this was to meet the war needs and selfish interests of the Japanese army.
end
This wanton destruction of natural resources has not only brought great disasters to the people of Northeast China, but is also a crime against all mankind. To this day, the ecological environment of the Northeast forest area has not been fully restored, and this dark history will be spurned forever.