AI app helps monitor cherry-tree health and keep hanami tradition blooming
Cherry blossom season is in full swing across Japan, but one issue looms over one of the country's most beautiful occasions — the aging of the iconic trees.
Many sakura trees — specifically the most common Somei-Yoshino variety — were planted when Japan during its postwar economic boom, and are now reaching the end of their estimated lifespan of around 60 to 70 years.
To deal with the risks associated with aging, deteriorating cherry trees, authorities are taking measures that include cutting them down.
In one case in April last year, a cherry blossom tree suddenly fell over onto a narrow street in Kyoto, injuring a passerby.
This year, a historic sakura festival in Mie Prefecture — which is home to around 500 Somei-Yoshino trees — was canceled after arborists deemed that multiple trees were in danger of falling.
Typically, when cherry blossom trees reach the end of their lifespan, local authorities take steps such as cutting them down or replanting them. However, many are unable to do so due to a shortage of workers and funds.
To lend a helping hand, Kirin Brewery launched a camera app last month that can analyze the health of a cherry blossom tree through the use of artificial intelligence.
The app, called Harekaze Action Sakura AI Camera, can estimate the age of a tree from a picture taken on a user's smartphone. The collected data, including its location, goes into a database that relevant local governments can access.
"In order to take care of cherry blossom trees, the most important thing is to know the current status of them and we hope the (app) will help do exactly that," said Toshio Katsuki, a researcher at the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute.
Kirin Brewery has been making donations to local authorities for cherry blossom maintenance since 2024, and the company hopes its latest data collection effort will have long-term positive effects.
'(The project) will continue to protect cherry blossoms over the long term, little by little, starting with what we can do, so that people can enjoy hanami (cherry blossom viewing) in future springs as well,' said Risa Shioda, a member of the Kirin Brewery project.
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