Abandoned Tea Plantations

This article was written by Hiroki A.

What happens when a tea field is abandoned? Once management stops and a tea plantation is left unattended, deterioration progresses at an astonishing speed. Normally, tea bushes are maintained at about waist height for an adult, but within just one year of abandonment, they can grow to the height of a person. At this stage, it is still possible to restore the field to its original condition through pruning and other management. However, if the plants continue to grow beyond this point, returning the plantation to its former state becomes extremely difficult.

As branches that emerge from the surface of the tea field grow larger, they severely block sunlight from reaching the lower branches and leaves. When this condition persists, the lower foliage eventually stops growing and begins to wither. After several years, the tea plants come to resemble wild, naturally growing tea trees, far exceeding human height, with only a few thick trunks standing upright and foliage concentrated at the top. As time goes on, other plants begin to invade, and the area turns into a tangled woodland.

Abandoned tea fields not only damage the beautiful landscape of tea-producing regions but also increase the management costs of neighboring tea plantations. Once a field reaches this state, replanting requires the removal of a massive number of tea trees, ultimately reducing the land’s value and usability.

Today, the tea industry faces serious challenges such as labor shortages and an aging workforce, and the number of abandoned tea fields continues to rise. Suppressing the occurrence of abandoned plantations while preserving the landscape and maintaining the productive capacity of tea-producing regions will be a major issue going forward.