A Town that Circulates the Bounty of the Mountains: The Forest Economy that sprouted in Hokuto City around 2007

A Town that Circulates the Bounty of the Mountains: The Forest Economy that sprouted in Hokuto City around 2007

In the mid-2000s, the "problem of piles of thinned timber" was becoming increasingly serious in many parts of Japan. Although the cedar and cypress trees planted during the postwar period of afforestation had reached maturity, the decline in lumber prices made it unprofitable to harvest and remove the trees, and the forests were left unattended. Untended forests lost their ability to retain water, leading to landslides and muddy rivers. The national government has been considering the introduction of a forest environment tax since fiscal 2006, and local governments urgently needed to "create a system to use trees in the community.

Against this backdrop, Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture, established a registration system in 2007 to link forest-thinning timber providers and timber users. Forest owners are registered as providers, and woodworkers, furniture makers, and builders are registered as consumers. Taking advantage of its proximity to the Tokyo metropolitan area, the city also promoted cooperation with designers and workshops in urban areas.

The aim of this system is not limited to mere support for the forestry industry. It was also a "community forest restoration activity" aimed at preventing river pollution caused by the runoff of abandoned timber, as well as at environmental education and strengthening the local brand. Benches, signboards, and other products made from thinned wood were used for events and tourist facilities in the city, attracting attention as a model that links forest conservation and regional development.

Hokuto City's efforts are in line with the "tree-planting campaign" and "forest environment tax" that were being promoted at the same time, and can be considered a practical local version of the government's "Basic Plan for Establishing a Recycling-Oriented Society" (enacted in 2003). The philosophy of making use of local resources in the community was an attempt to create a prototype for the current decarbonized society.