The Hokkaido Agricultural and Livestock Revival Association Corporation provides farm operators, businesses, and organizations seeking support and improved business management in the fields of agriculture and livestock with ways of optimally maximizing their operations.

The fields of agriculture and livestock are replete with complex issues.
Are you struggling to resolve these and blaze a path forward?
Perhaps you don't know what to do or where to begin.

If that sounds like you, we are exactly on the same page with you and ready to help.

 

"Harushibeyanagi" is a brand-new, one-of-a-kind plant that was produced through the unique blend of the willow tree and bambo.
It allows for restoring forests in a short time and contributing to local economies.

 

With great resilience and growing in an upright shape, the material is excellently suited to structural uses. Furthermore, since "Harushibeyanagi" is white in color, it can be used to produce pulp without needing to bleach it.

 

Furthermore, "Harushibeyanagi" can be put to use in fields as diverse as structural materials, textile materials, interior products, and more.

It can also be used in place of concrete in river dike construction projects.

 

There are many new applications waiting to be researched going forward.

The willow ("yanagi") has strong roots and is resilient to climates with high salt content, such as along coastlines.

 

Furthermore, bamboo ("take") grows quickly and, like the willow tree, has no problems growing in wetlands rich in groundwater.

 

"Harushibeyanagi" features an analogous structure that enables it to be used to disaster-proof bodies of water for greater resilience.

 

The Forest Research and Management Organization has made use of willow tree cultivation as an alternative to fossil fuels.

However, it takes considerable time for willows to reach a suitable size for use, making the material impractical at this point in time.

 

However, "Harushibeyanagi" grows quickly and is adaptable to a range of uses.

 

This material was developed out of a focus on the fact that the willow tree and bamboo have a similar fibrous structure. Since they are used for soil clusters and cultivation, the result compared to traditional trees is a material that:

• ・Grows faster and is easy to plant
• ・Is a fibrous mass
• ・Is hardy and robust
• ・Has a fibrous part of the wood that is pure white

And much more !

 

Harushibeyanagi grows quickly and is easy to cultivate, and it withstands extreme cold even in frigid regions. The combination of bamboo and willow has a rich fibrous content that makes it very robust and resilient.

 

The fibers are white, producing a cross-section with a clean appearance, making the product suited to craft and artisanal goods.

 

After drying, the product is very light and resilient, making it much more workable than traditional broadleaf tree products.

 

Harushibeyanagi grows quickly and reaches a height of six meters by its second year, growing to a diameter upwards of 15 centimeters, making it a fast-growing plant that can be used to claw back early profits.

 

In recent years, environmental damage has led to increased landslides around the world.

In Japan's mountainous regions, manmade forests have fallen into disrepair and the mountains are in decay.

Within this context, Harushibeyanagi serves as a form of lumber that can be quickly grown and harvested.

 

Over the last few decades, natural forests have been stable, but it is of critical importance that they be protected from disasters, in particular in the context of broadleaf forests.

 

When Harushibeyanagi grows, it puts roots below the soil that are upwards of four meters long.

Also hardy against saline soils, the plant can be used as a breakwater along rivers and coastline.

 

Because manmade forests in Japan were left unattended and unfelled, there is a large quantity of lumber there.

Since before WWII, manmade larch and cedar forests were rapidly built up.

 

As economic growth slowed down and inexpensive lumber from overseas began to enter the country, domestic forests fell on a decline, leading them to become abandoned and not maintained.

 

Harushibeyanagi has a fast rate of growth, quick profitability cycle, and can be leveraged to make wide use of lumber assets, making it a very economically beneficial material for the forestry industries.

 

Going forward, exploring ways of developing manifold uses of lumber while growing Harushibeyanagi in uncultivated, remote mountain regions will allow for protecting domestic forests and preventing natural disasters through flood control, thereby protecting the environment.

 

Its expanded use in industrial fields also allows for the better activation of forest resources.

Example1. Alternative energy source

Harushibeyanagi contains ethanol, allowing it to be used as a fuel to yield 250L/ton of material.

As fossil fuels and crude oil become increasingly unstable sources of fuel, this material acts as a groundbreaking alternative energy source.

 

Example2. Alternative to synthetics

Harushibeyanagi also contains antibacterial properties, with a large content of lignin oil and fiber, so it can be applied to the food industry and act as a safe alternative product in applications like pharmaceuticals and industrial products, where chemical products would ordinarily be used.

 

Example3. New material for use in lightweight applications in automotives and aviation

Given its ability to withstand temperatures up to 300 degrees Celsius, this item has great utility in industrial and production contexts and can serve as a material enabling lightweight automotive and aviation solutions.

 

Example4. Sale of seedlings

 

Example5. Chests of drawers

 

Example6. Coffins

 

Example7. Lunch box separators

 

Example8. Residential material, building material, structural material

*Harushibeyanagi has eight times the tensile strength of standard wood.

 

Example9. Paper and pulp materials

*Can be used to create a refined quality paper without bleaching

 

Example10. Activated charcoal

*25x greater than porous bamboo

 

Example11. Reduced CO2 emissions

 

Example12. Breakwaters (tsunami and landslide protection)

 

Example13. Instrument material

 

Example14. Plant-derived plastics

 

Example15. Textiles

 

Example16. Desert greening

 

Example17. Biomass fuel

 

Example18. Health foods (tea, collagen products)

 

And much more... in this way, "Harushibeyanagi" is truly a treasure of trove of untapped potential !

We would consider it a great shame to not share these assets with the world.