Environmental NPO Starts New System to Promote Forest Management in Japan

In December 2005, together with the town of Iwaizumi in Iwate Prefecture, Office Chonai-Kai (Office Neighborhood Association), a Japanese environmental non-profit organization, started a new initiative called "Forest Chonai-Kai." Its goal is to help create healthy forests by making a link between forests and companies in various industries. The initiative features a system to connect forest management operations with users of the wood that comes from them.

In Japan, forests planted for commercial use currently account for approximately 40 percent of the total forest area. Due to declines in the use of domestic lumber and rising costs of forest plantation management in recent years, an increasing area of these forests is being inadequately maintained by thinning of brush and excess timber. This situation gives rise to concerns that healthy forest growth will be disrupted, and basic forest functions such as carbon dioxide absorption to prevent global warming will decline.

Under the Forest Chonai-Kai system, like-minded businesses make up cost shortfalls of forest management operations and logging if these costs cannot be covered by subsidies and revenues from the wood produced. These businesses also purchase paper made from forest thinning, providing revenue that contributes to the cause.

Iwaizumi implements the forest operations on the ground and ensures the traceability of thinned woods for the businesses that cover cost shortfalls. Forest Chonai-Kai, works by promoting mutual trust between Iwaizumi and participating businesses, and aims to pave the way for a new model to ensure that society leaves behind healthy forests for future generations. Meanwhile, Office Chonai-Kai is working to increase the number of participating businesses.

http://www.o-cho.org/eigo/e_top.html
http://www.o-cho.org/eigo/f_topics.html

Posted: 2006/08/23 06:25:44 AM
Japanese version