A century-old forest’s natural succession and regenerative power

 

Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora) once stood at the heart of Taiwan’s export economy. After a century of rise and decline in the camphor and forestry industries, the traces of logging and the regeneration of camphor and Taiwan Incense-cedar forests reveal both scars and renewal. Within mirrored art installations, visitors see their own reflections alongside the rebirth of a low-elevation forest—an encounter intended to awaken contemporary awareness of sustainable forestry.

 

With support from the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, surplus timber from Miaoli’s Danan Forest Road plantation has been repurposed as a stage for plants and mosses to cling to, and as a petri dish for fungi to decompose. Planted with camphor trees, Taiwan incense-cedar, and other native mid- to low-elevation species, the garden embodies the natural cycle of fallen logs, regeneration, and renewal. It also resonates with the sustainable forestry cycle: sprouting, maturing into timber, serving as shelter, and ultimately returning to nature.

 

The carefully designed mirrored installations, echoing the proportions of traditional Japanese shoji (paper sliding doors), reflect not only the historic dormitory of the Taiwan Soutokufu Forestry Division, but also today’s perspectives on nature—while pointing toward the vision of a sustainable forest future.