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In order to promote tree thinning in forests that act as carbon sinks, the Law concerning Special Measures for the Promotion of Forest Management (Law for the Forest Management) was passed during a plenary session of the House of Councilors on May 9, 2008. This law establishes a system for the national government to subsidize local governments, and came into force on May 16.

In recent years, cheap imported timber and aging forestry workers have resulted in the decay of the forestry industry and of rural areas that maintain forests, and a lack of maintenance, such as tree thinning, has been seen. Accordingly, it is now feared that the ability of forests to absorb carbon dioxide will decline.

The law aims to achieve forest sinks by 2012, the end of the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. When making a plan for specific forest management promotion, local governments can be subsidies for half the costs incurred in forest management, and in industrial road maintenance and improvement by the national government. Moreover, such local governments will be accorded preferential treatment for municipal bonds.

In order to achieve the forest sink target of 13 million ton carbon, in addition to an annual thinning of 0.35 million hectares, 0.2 million hectares of additional thinning (per year) is necessary, which makes a total area of 3.3 million hectares to be thinned.

http://www.maff.go.jp/e/index.html
- Environmental NPO Starts New System to Promote Forest Management in Japan (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/db/1469-e

Posted: 2008/09/28 11:17:11 AM

TAG Ecosystem , Government , System/Law