Japanese forestry 日本の営林

Forstwirtschaft / Forstwesen

Japan has a mild climate and plentiful rain which are ideal for forest growth. With the exception of some extreme habitats such as alpine meadows and areas of river gravel Japan’s natural cover is almost always forest – two thirds of land is forest. 40% of the forests in Japan are planted forests, such as cedar and cypress. They are mainly planted after the Pacific War (1941-45), in attempt to produce construction material. Sagano Bamboo Forest, is a natural forest in Arashiyama, Kyôto. In 1993, the “Yakushima Cedar Forest” was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its species-rich flora. The oldest specimen is considered to be the Jōmon Sugi, which has existed since Japan’s prehistory, the Jōmon period  (14,000–300 BCE), with various measurements ranging from 2,170 to 7,200 years old.