19/11/2013
Thinning Wood in Japan
In 2007, the Japanese Government launched a 6-years project aiming at deforesting 3.3 million hectares of forest in order to protect it.
In Japan, forest accounts for 70% of the country. “Man-made forests” that people planted to obtain higher quality wood, used for instance in house constructions, account for about 40%.
Trees from man-made forest grow at faster rate and have tendencies to block the sun for other plants and trees which, in turn, could weaken the soil structure and cause erosion, endangering the villages and people nearby. This phenomenon would also decrease the overall quality of the wood produced.
It is therefore important to cut and sell the wood frequently, to replant new ones after in order to preserve the forest. People have implemented a cycle that could be summarized as “plant → grow → harvest” allowing to preserve the overall well-being of the forest and produce the right amount of wood needed.