3,000-year-old cedar toppled on typhoon-hit island in southwest Japan

Five or six days after the typhoon?

Mottainai . Zannen.

Stood the test of time for 3,000 years.

https://cdn.mainichi.jp/vol1/2024/09/03/20240903p2g00m0na035000p/8.jpg?1

This was bound to happen. Over time trees get weak and fall over. Will they make special chopsticks from the wood?

It's really too bad. An iconic tree burned in Hawaii, beloved by the people who live there (although it didn't completely burn). This is kind of sad. 3,000 years old. How many things live that long? Makes me think of all the things it lived through.

NO Problem, Put it back up and it will likely keep going.

If the entire tree can't be propped up and rescued, just cut off some stems and replant them in the same place. Then, use the original tree's lumber to make something to commemorate it. After being hit with typhoon Haiyan in 2012, I learned never to underestimate the power of nature.

A great loss, I hope they can do something to save the tree, although it will be almost impossible..

As can be seen in the pictures, the tree was too old and rotten inside, that's why it broke so easily in half.

has been toppled, likely due to strong winds 

Likely, no, certainly.

Those adverbs should sometimes not be translated to make it clear, when the fact are obvious. This is not a criminal investigation

what a sad news to humanity. climate is change.

what a sad news to humanity. climate is change.

Climate change in this case had very little to do..... the main reason was that the tree was old, it was bound to happen, and it did

Two words: fossil fuels.

what a sad news to humanity. climate is change.

3,000 years old has nothing to do with this?

wow... five down votes.... but why? I am not denying climate change, I said that in this particular case climate change is not the primary culprit.

The tree (Jomon Ceder) that fell down was old (3000 years old approximately)... usually those the life for those trees are around 500 years... so Yayoisugi (the tree that fell off) was already 6 time over the average life expectancy.

For thos who down voted, just to give you an idea (since I suspect you are having some trouble), if Yayoisugi was a human it will be around 480 years old.... if a 480 year old person got scared of a thunder and died of an heart attack you will blame his dead because he ate meat everyday??

For all you Climate deniers et al, you could dispute the main causes of climate disaster, but not the fact in itself. And as for this tree, Shanshan took this very unique course because, as it was reported in the news a few times, there are unusual massive warm air areas west and east of Japan bc the temperature of the ocean has been rising and this caused the Typhoon to bounce back and forth.

Dear Seawolf (personally I like more your cousin Airwolf)

That the typhoon was the reason that the tree fell, OK. That the typhoon strenght and course was caused because of climate change, true.

That the typhoon (and thus climate change) was the main cause for the tree to die... no.

As I have said before, the tree was over 3000 years old... 6 times older than the average lifespan. The trunk at the base of the tree had a huge cavity (that is normal for big trees), and part of the inner trunk, again at the base, was rotten. Meaning that only a relatevely thin layer of "healthy" trunk was supporting the entire base... it was boud to happen with our without typhoon... an earthquake, a thunder strike a guy leaning on the tree even could have done the same.

Did anyone hear it fall?

If a tree falls and no one hears it, did it really fall?

The tree did exactly what millions of other probable 3000+ year old trees we never knew about did over the past millions of years… it fell over, and it will die. As nature intended, to make way for new plants.

Better to lose a love than to never have loved at all. Same with this tree.

Anything made from the wood of this fallen ancient wonder would be worth more than its weight in gold. Such a precious item should be taken into state care and used to create items of great importance and significance. Japan has some of the very best artisans capable of creating wonders in wood. Use this to keep traditions alive and train the next generations in woodcraft.

Its only a flesh wound. Its not dead yet. The roots will continue to grow for a number of years and in all likelihood send up a few shoots that will regrow the above ground tree.