Taiwan Today

The government is conserving forestry resources by leveraging their historical and cultural value.
 

Since the 15th century, Taiwan has boasted one of the world’s most abundant sources of a highly coveted wood product: camphor. The land’s lush old-growth forests attracted traders from around the globe who sought the raw material and its derivative essence  as well as other types of wood. Though logging occurs on a drastically reduced scale and is tightly regulated today, the historically significant sector left behind a rich legacy. To protect this heritage for the public, the government employs the services of firms like Hu Architects & Associates in Taipei City, which has undertaken more than 100 restoration projects since its establishment in 2002. Among these was the 2007-2022 renovation of a cluster of 11 wooden buildings constructed in the 1930s during Japanese colonial rule (1895-1945). Located in downtown Taipei’s Daan District, the structures were originally employee residences for the Taiwan Governor-General Office’s Forestry Division. After World War II, they were taken over by the Department of Agriculture and Forestry under the now-defunct Taiwan Provincial Government before ultimately coming under the jurisdiction of the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture’s (COA) Forestry Bureau (FB) in 1999.
 

“The 15-year commitment was a massive undertaking whose completion gave us a great sense of accomplishment,” said company architect Hu Tzung-hsiung (胡宗雄). He believes such projects are well worth the effort due to the assets’ aesthetic, economic, educational and historical value. To ensure authenticity, Hu’s team collected information on the buildings’ original design, materials and occupant lifestyles before starting work. “We sought to restore the features that give the structures a historic character while allowing for alterations,” he said. Hu and his team won awards from the COA and Taipei City Government’s Department of Cultural Affairs for their outstanding contribution to conservation.
 

Preservation, restoration and revitalization of former logging infrastructure like employee housing, timber factories and railroads are critical components of the FB’s Conservation and Redevelopment Program of Forestry Cultural Resources. This is paired with the promotion of tourism to major heritage sites at Chiayi Forestry Culture Park in southern Taiwan, Dongshih Forestry Culture Park in the central city of Taichung, Lintianshan Forestry Culture Park in eastern Taiwan’s Hualien County and Luodong Forestry Culture Park in the northeastern county of Yilan. The overarching goal is to achieve sustainable operations by applying modern business and environmental management practices to bring in revenue from recreational use of natural resources. 

Evolving Attitude

According to Lee Yun-chung (李允中), director of the FB’s Forest Recreation Division, forest plays a vital role in economic and social development given the country’s roughly 60 percent tree cover. “From preventing soil erosion and improving water quality to providing lumber, wildlife habitats and recreation, forests have contributed substantially to Taiwan’s overall progress and well-being,” he said. “The government attaches great importance to ensuring knowledge of our historical relationship with them is passed on to subsequent generations.”
 

During their administrative rule, the Japanese carried out comprehensive surveys of forested areas and began utilizing their resources, launching infrastructure projects to turn Taiwan into Japan’s agricultural production base. To transport lumber down from the mountains, lines like Alishan Forest Railway were built. Winding from an elevation of 30 meters to over 2,200 meters, the route is the highest narrow-gauge railway in Asia. Today it is a popular tourist attraction thanks to its tunnels, wooden bridges and unique Z-shaped switchbacks, as well as the stunning views and towering trees along the way.
 

After 1945, the logging industry experienced robust growth before starting to decline in the mid-1970s. With the rise of environmentalism, the government became aware of the need to protect the country’s forests, leading to a ban on felling trees in all natural forests in 1991. As a result, about 99 percent of today’s lumber needs are met by imports from countries like Australia and Malaysia. The FB’s conservation and redevelopment focus is reestablishing a sustainability-led domestic timber industry.
 

To help expand forest cover, the FB introduced its Forestation for All policy in 1996, which encourages the public to plant trees in areas formerly used for building or agriculture. Lee pointed out that achieving a balance between planting and harvesting is a major challenge. “It’s important to make effective use of locally sourced wood to reduce reliance on imports while nurturing our forest ecosystems,” he said. “We want to encourage responsible use of homegrown timber for homes, furniture and everyday goods as it’s a highly durable and renewable raw material.”

Sustained Growth

Since the logging ban in natural forests went into effect, the FB has taken action to conserve disused timber industry properties. In partnership with local governments, community organizations and professionals like Hu, the bureau has transformed lumber processing facilities into education centers, recreation areas and research stations. The largest projects, the four forestry culture parks, were designed to showcase each of the sites’ distinctive features and functions. The Chiayi park spotlights Alishan, which was one of the big three colonial-era logging areas, while Dongshih hosts woodcarving exhibitions. Lintianshan offers the chance to explore the most complete remains of a residential logging settlement and the Luodong park details traditional logging operations.
 

Adaptive reuse takes many forms: refurbished buildings can be turned into bookstores, galleries, shops, restaurants or venues for events like exhibitions, lectures and performances. “We’re open to any possibility as long as it involves public access and, preferably, a cultural mission,” Lee said. This approach not only extends aging buildings’ useful life spans but also makes sense from a financial and sustainability perspective.
 

Assisting in the planning and implementation of the bureau’s program are Monica Kuo (郭瓊瑩‬), chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture at Taipei-based Chinese Culture University, and her team of more than 20 experts in the fields of architecture, forestry, landscaping, tourism and urban planning. They conducted large-scale field surveys and inventories of forestry resources to identify remaining tangible and intangible assets including tools, steam locomotives and entire villages set up to meet the needs of logging and milling workers. Kuo applauds the FB’s move to establish forestry culture parks because they showcase multiple facets of Taiwan’s logging industry and its evolution over time in terms of equipment, knowledge and techniques.
 

“Taiwan is a veritable treasure trove of cultural attractions and natural beauty,” Kuo said. “Our essential task is to rehabilitate and reinvent these forestry resources, introducing interactive elements like augmented and virtual reality to foster curiosity about people, places and stories from a bygone era.” The FB’s program demonstrates the government’s determination to safeguard, manage and promote traces of the country’s logging industry, thus increasing public understanding and appreciation of their significance. “We aim to bring history to life through restoration and adaptive reuse,” Lee said. “These heritage assets enhance Taiwan’s sense of community by forging stronger connections to the past while creating new opportunities for cultural expression, economic development and social interaction.”

Write to Kelly Her at kher@mofa.gov.tw