[pp.77-88]
Koji MATSUSHITA and Yuji OHBA (Kyoto University)
Abstract:
The Forestry Agency has a long-term goal of increasing non-clear-cutting forest practices, including the creation of multistoried forests. Interviews with forest owners practicing selection-cutting forestry in Imasu, Gifu Prefecture and Taniguchi, Shiga Prefecture were conducted to determine the current status of selection-cutting forestry and identify associated policy issues. Forest owners in both areas are elderly individuals, and although log production is decreasing, selection-cutting forestry is still practiced. The following policy issues were identified: 1) the lack of statistics regarding resources and the management of selection-cutting forests in the forest-resource database managed by prefectural governments and the national Agriculture and Forestry Census; 2) the neglect of small-scale selection-cutting forestry due to the current main forestry policy and the promotion of the thinning of plantation forests that were planted primarily after the 1960s, which is also related to the Kyoto Protocol; and 3) the need of ongoing administrative support for selection-cutting forest owners who remain committed to continuing selection-cutting forestry practices. Private forestry policies emphasizing creating uniform forests as the main goals have remained unchanged since the 1960s. It is necessary to provide support for existing selection-cutting forestry practices to facilitate the transition to the use of non-clear-cutting methods.
Key Word:
selection-cutting forest, forest owner, small-scale, log production, Imasu, Taniguchi