'Miracle pine' loses roots to seawater, dying

Last to go: The only pine tree to survive the March 11 tsunami in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, is expected to die as its roots rot from exposure to seawater. KYODO PHOTO

RIKUZENTAKATA, Iwate Pref. — The continued survival of the 260-year-old pine tree that withstood the March 11 tsunami in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, and became a symbol of the city's resilience, is now in doubt because its roots are being killed by exposure to seawater.

The tree is the only survivor of the around 70,000 pines that once stood in a scenic stretch of the coastal city. Residents dubbed it "the miracle pine."

But the seawater will eventually bring it down, the Japan Greenery Research and Development Center, a body that has been working for nine months to keep the tree alive, reported to Mayor Futoshi Toba on Monday.

The 30-meter-high pine tree, however, has yielded four grafts that have been raised at a breeding station, raising hopes that the pine strain can eventually be restored.