**Burning Forests to Light the Future: Ueda's Circulation Story - Early 2000s**.

**Burning Forests to Light the Future: Ueda's Circulation Story - Early 2000s**.

In the early 2000s, Ueda City in Nagano Prefecture was in the midst of a nationwide decline in the forestry industry. Even though the cedars and cypresses planted after World War II had reached the optimum age for harvesting, the low cost of imported timber and stagnant domestic timber prices made it unprofitable, and the forests were devastated without sufficient thinning or logging. The increase in the number of abandoned forests increased the risk of pest infestation and landslides, and also accelerated the decline and aging of the local forestry workforce.

In response to this situation, Hisashi Kobayashi decided that an economically viable utilization system was necessary to protect the forests, and he created a recycling system that utilizes thinned wood and branches as a source of local energy. Logged wood is processed into firewood and wood chips, which are used as fuel for heating public facilities and the community. This has reduced the use of fossil fuels such as kerosene and heavy oil, and has led directly to the curbing of carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, the logging, transportation, and processing processes for forest management created new jobs and contributed to the economic revitalization of the mountainous region.

On the technical side, the introduction of woody biomass boilers and a high-efficiency drying system improved the calorific value and utilization efficiency of the fuel. Measures were also taken to reduce exhaust gas emissions during combustion to minimize environmental impact. Mr. Kobayashi also focused on environmental education at schools and community events to inform the public about the public benefit function of forests and the importance of resource recycling.

These efforts coincided with preparations for the Kyoto Protocol to enter into force in 2002, and with policies to promote the use of biomass in Japan, and attracted attention as a model for sustainable energy conversion originating in a rural area.