Uniqueness of the Kiri tree
The Kiri tree is considered the fastest-growing tree on Earth. If one creates the necessary growth conditions, it can grow over five meters in one year and produce as much wood volume as an oak in one-tenth of the time. Its girth increases by about 10 – 12 cm per year.
The Kiri tree is also of enormous importance for the climate and the environment. Due to its large leaves, it absorbs significantly more CO2 than most other trees – which is why it is often called the climate tree.
Another advantage over many other trees is that the Kiri tree is very resistant to pests and insects. It is also very adaptable and tolerant of climatic conditions. Because of its many positive characteristics, the Kiri tree is excellently suited for cultivation on plantations. It outperforms all other trees by producing precious wood of very good quality in a much shorter time and at the same time has a noticeable positive effect on the climate, as well as on the air and soil quality.
Special properties of kiri WOOD
The timber of the Kiri tree is special and highly valuable. Within twelve years, a Kiri tree generates up to two cubic meters of precious wood. The wood is very lightweight but particularly stable. This is why Kiri wood is also known as the aluminum of the wood industry. Due to its low tannin content, the wood is resin- and odorless. It dries quickly and is easily processed. Once dried, the wood does not deform, even when wet, and has low flammability. Undemanding and versatile, the wood is ideal for a wide range of applications.
The demand for Kiri wood in furnishings, musical instruments, boats, airplanes and sports equipment is on the rise. Due to its stability and excellent thermal properties, the wood is also being used more and more in house construction as a facade or insulation material. As the worldwide demand for timber is likely to double within the next ten years, Kiri trees can play a vital role in the supply. Our plantations are committed to sustainable forestry practices to fight climate change and protect existing forests around the world.
Symbolic meaning in China and Japan
Because of its beauty and the imperial majesty of its blossoms, the Kiri tree was assigned as a tree symbol to the Japanese imperial house. The leaves and blossoms of the imperial Kiri tree were therefore used as a heraldic symbol in the imperial coat of arms (Go-Shichi no Kiri). In tree symbolism, the kiri tree is generally regarded as a symbol of fertility and good fortune in China, Japan and Korea because of its extraordinarily high growth rate. The latter goes back to a legend according to which the Japanese imperial tree was the seat of the mystical bird “Phoenix”, which burns and arises anew from its ashes (“like Phoenix from the ashes”). The Phoenix is said to have only settled on a Kiri tree during its flights. But the term Phoenix tree is also used in botany, because the Kiri tree has the property of growing back many times after it has been felled.