Forestry and the Forest Industry in Japan
In recent years, Japan, like many other forest-dependent nations, has been facing difficult times: forest self-sufficiency is low; unplanted areas after harvesting are increasing; and forest industries and companies are losing international competitiveness in the global market.
Such challenges, however, are not unique to Japan but are relevant – and all too familiar – to forest industry stakeholders around the world. This book, representing the work of distinguished Japanese scholars, is the first comprehensive English-language overview of forestry, forest management, and the forest products industry in Japan. Chapters address the biological and physical evolution of the forest, forest-dependent industries, the social impact of changes in forest utilization, current trends in the forest estate, and the relationship between urban population and rural forest land.
Forestry and the Forest Industry in Japan will be welcomed by scholars, students, and policy makers in the areas of forest policy, international trade, international forestry, and forest products marketing.
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction / Yoshiya Iwai
Part 1: Forestry and Forest Policy in Japan: Historical Development and Current Situation
1 The Development of Japanese Forestry / Junichi Iwamoto
2 Silviculture in Japan / Mitsuo Fujiwara
3 Private Forestry / Ken-ichi Akao
4 Forest Owners’ Associations / Koji Matsushita and Kunihiro Hirata
5 Forestry Labour / Ichiro Fujikake
6 National Forest Management / Koji Matsushita
7 Forest Planning / Koji Matsushita
8 National and Regional Forest Policies / Shoji Mitsui
Part 2: Forest and Wood Products Industries in Japan
9 Logging and Log Distribution / Katsuhisa Ito
10 The Sawmill Industry / Ichiro Fujikake
11 Home Building and the Home-Building Industry / Tamutsu Ogi
12 The Japanese Pulp and Paper Industry and Its Wood Use / Hideshi Noda
13 Local Forestry and Sawmill Industries: The Case of Kumano, Mie Prefecture / Kozue Taguchi
14 Japan’s Wood Trade / Yoshiya Iwai and Kiyoshi Yukutake
Part 3: New Trends for Forestry in Japan
15 Depopulation and Mura-Okoshi (Village Revival) / Takashi Iguchi
16 New Relationship between Forests and City Dwellers in Japan / Yoshiya Iwai
17 Treatment of Forests and Wildlife in Modern Society / Atsushi Takayanagi
Contributors
Index
