SEARCH FOR THOUSAND-YEAR-OLD TAIWANIA|尋千年台灣杉森林 公視記錄珍貴畫面

The Taiwania is the tallest tree in Taiwan. And For the Rukai People, it is known as "the tree that hits the moon". In the mountains of southern Taiwan, there is a rare Taiwania forest. Public Television Service has teamed up with Citizen of the Earth and went to the deepest reaches of the Central Mountain Range for 16 days, bringing back with them precious footages of the Taiwania forest. To search for the the tallest tree in Taiwan, Public Television Service cooperated with Citizen of the Earth and conducted an 16-day ecological investigation of forest. For the investigators, it is more than a trial of stamina and endurance, for there are a lot of unknown challenges to face. We made it ! Rocks ! Rocks ! The road was used by Rukai people to transport picked jelly fig seeds. It was also the path for mountain climbers to arrive at the Dalupalringi lake in Pingtung. However, after Typhoon Morakot, the mountains have changed. The path to the Dalupalringi lake becomes more difficult to walk through. Use some tap spots.The whole route has changed. It is difficult to walk through. You still need to fix your feet to the ground even the tap spots are fixed. His feet is longer. After three and a half days of walking, the investigation team finally arrived at the Dalupalringi lake, a sacred lake for Rukai people. The team entered the traditional realm of Rukai people and continued to look for the Taiwania forest. Wow ! Look! Taiwania is everywhere. We found it ! so dense and huge. 9 days passed before the dense and huge Taiwania forest finally appeared in front of the whole team. ==Yang Kuo Chen, Associate Professor of Providence University's department of ecological humanities== From here to the furtherst tree over there is 30 meters.The tree's height is estimated between 40 to 50 meters.In this area, there are more than 50 trees. This is a very healthy and beautiful forest. It is estimated that there are more than 10,000 Taiwanias in the Shuangguei Lake Wildlife Habitat. The area may be a landslide in the past. It is after numerous times of succession and natural selection, that the area becomes a dense forest.Taiwania is one of the relict species, and it is also a world-class living fossil. It is the only plant that uses "Taiwan" as its genus in the kindom of plants. Generally, Taiwania is located in the mountains of the cold belt between1,800 to 2,500 meters above sea level. Because it is often mixed with red cypress, some Taiwanias were cut down during the period of heavy logging. This is so huge. Pull to see if it is tight enough. Okay. This is the thickest. 13 meters and 57 centimeters. ==Yang Kuo Chen , Associate Professor of Providence University's department of ecological humanities== The densest pure stand and the tallest tree are mostly in the Benye mountain area, which is at the eastern side of Dalupalringi lake.They are very unique. For example, the Taiwania behind me is no.11, and it has the largest circumfrence, which is 1357 centimeters. The oldest Taiwania is already 3,000 years old. The Rukai people called it "the tree which hits the moon" because when you stand beneath it, you will feel that humans are no bigger than a grain of sand. ==Lai Meng Chuan , Cultural worker of Karamemedisane in Pingtung== We call this area Malalwosu. Malawosu is Rukai people's traditional realm, and it is also the place where we pick jelly fig seeds. When we picked jelly fig seeds here, the elders would often say "You are the youngest, I will let you climb the tree which hits the moon later." The investigation team witnessed the existence of Taiwania forest during the 16-day ecological investigation of forest. They also witnessed the link and emotional bond between Rukai people and mother earth . ==Lai Meng Chuan, Cultural worker of Karamemedisane in Pingtung== We can tell everybody how our ancestors made use of this traditional realm from our childhoood memory. We want more and more people to know about our traditional realm and how great Taiwania is. Taiwania, the tree which hits the moon, is our pride. TRANSLATED BY：ARIEL HSIEH 為了尋找台灣最高的樹，公視和地球公民基金會合作，進行為期16天的森林生態調查，除了體力與耐力考驗，還有許多的未知挑戰。 原本這是魯凱族人摘採愛玉子的運送之路，也是登山客前往屏東大鬼湖的路徑，但是經過莫拉克風災的摧殘，讓山林變貌，往大鬼湖的路徑，更加崎嶇難行。 走了三天半，終於抵達魯凱族人的聖湖-大鬼湖，調查團隊跟著魯凱族人進入傳統領域，繼續尋找台灣杉巨木林。 經過了九天的路程，密集又高大的台灣杉森林，終於出現在大家的眼前。 ==靜宜大學生態人文學系副教授 楊國禎== 從這裡算到那棵 最後面那棵這樣子 這樣是30公尺了 這個估計高度 大概在40公尺到50公尺 這區這樣超過五十棵 是非常健康 非常優良的一個森林 估計雙鬼湖野生動物棲息環境的台灣杉，可能有超過一萬棵，以前這個區域可能是崩塌地，歷經無數次的自然演替與天擇，才有幸慢慢長成一片茂密的森林。台灣杉是植物學界，唯一以台灣當屬名的植物，主要分布在1800到2500公尺的雲霧帶山區，是冰河孑遺植物、世界級的活化石。由於經常與紅檜混生，在大伐木時期，部分族群同時遭到大量砍伐。 ==靜宜大學生態人文學系副教授 楊國禎== 在我們本野山這個區域 也就是大鬼湖東邊這個區域 目前最密集會形成純林 而且目前最高大的樹 大多集中在這個區域 它非常獨特 而且非常具有它的代表性 像我們目前看到後面這一棵 編號11號 最大是1357(公分)圓周 是目前最大的一個情形 這一棵最老的台灣杉爺爺已經三千歲了，站在針葉樹帝王的腳下，顯得自己如此的渺小，魯凱族人才會稱它為撞到月亮的樹。 ==屏東佳暮部落文化工作者 賴孟傳== 這塊區域 我們稱它叫Malalwosu Malalwosu這個區域 是我們魯凱族的傳統領域 也是我們採愛玉的地方 通常我們在這裡採愛玉的時候 老人家常告訴我說 你年紀最小 等一下讓你去爬一個 撞到月亮的樹 十六天的森林生態調查，真實見證了台灣杉千年巨木林的存在，也看見魯凱族人與土地的連結與情感。 ==屏東佳暮部落文化工作者 賴孟傳== 可以記錄下我們從小 然後告訴大家 以前我的祖先是怎麼樣運用 這個傳統領域的 現在我們要怎麼樣讓大家更認識 尤其是台灣杉 我所講的 撞到月亮的樹 那個樹有多麼的雄偉 讓大家認識台灣杉是我們的驕傲 記者 陳添寶 柯金源 採訪報導