index > Today's Earth, Our Future > 2. Gifts from the forests > Japanese Forests Today
 
Japanese Forests TodayEvery year, we Japanese use an average of one cubic meter of wood per person. If we plant one seedling a year, we can help make up for this wood.
You may be surprised, but more than 80% of the wood that Japanese people use is imported from overseas. About 67% of Japan's land area is covered with forests. Why does such a forest country buy wood from other countries? One reason is because it is cheaper to transport timber from overseas by ship than to cut and transport trees within Japan. Because Japan's mountains are steep, it costs a lot of money to look after and cut the trees as well as to bring the logs out of the mountains. In contrast, the United States, Canada and Indonesia, from which Japan buys a large amount of wood, can supply cheap wood. In these countries there are forests in spacious flatlands, which makes it easy to do the forestry work. Also, compared to Japan, they use more workers and pay them less. In the past, the Japanese people could provide nearly all the wood used within Japan. In 1950, Japan's self-sufficiency ratio (ability to provide for one's own needs) for timber was 98%. However, this ratio dropped to 45% in 1970, and now has gone down to less than 20%. Japanese forestry is facing a crisis. If Japan buys timber from overseas rather than from within the country, how can workers in forestry get money to look after the trees and make their own living? There are two kinds of forests: natural forests and artificial forests. Natural forests are the old forests that have existed since ancient times. Forests which were once cut down and then replanted are called artificial forests. More than 40% of the forests in Japan are artificial forests. It is as important to look after the artificial forests as it is to avoid cutting down trees in the natural forests. Artificial forests were planted by people, so they need to be taken care of by people. Young tree seedlings first have to survive against the weeds, so we cut the weeds around the trees. When the trees grow a bit taller, we do a process called "thinning" (cut down the weaker trees) to make a wide, open space for the young trees to grow well. If we don't thin the forest, the trees will grow very weak and will fall down easily in the snow or strong wind.
Now, half of all the forests in Japan are left uncared for. If we don't look after the trees, they cannot become healthy good trees, and those unhealthy trees won't sell well. Then, the forest workers will get only a little money, not enough to look after the forest. That will make the forests weaker, and it will be even more difficult to get good timber. This is a vicious cycle. We have to stop this cycle, because we will also lose other valuable roles of the forests such as preventing landslides and purifying the water and air. It is not too late yet. Since Japan cuts down and buys lots of trees from forests all over the world, it is our responsibility to look after the forests we are blessed with, and protect the forestry industry for the rest of the world, not just for our own country. If we actively buy and use more and more furniture and pencils made from thinned woods in Japan, it will help protect forests not only in Japan but also in the whole world.
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   2. Gifts from the forests
   
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