Facing the Challenge of Social Forestry in Japan: The Case of Reviving Harmonious Coexistence Between Forest and People in Okayama Prefecture

Social forestry as a development strategy has evolved since the 1970s, especially in the tropics, to address forest degradation and promote local community development amidst the burgeoning population in these areas. As a practice, however, social forestry has been in place since ancient times in many parts of the world, including Japanese forest communities. Forest-people relationships in Japan drastically changed through massive afforestation programs after the energy source change and with the industrialization of the forest sector in 1950s. The majority of the planted forests are underutilized today and forest communities are marginalized due to the decline of forestry operations, depopulation, and changes in people’s values. Some communities address this concern by inviting potential urban migrants who may be interested in settling in rural areas. Using the case of the Nishiawakura Village in Okayama Prefecture, this paper explores the recent challenges confronting social forestry in Japan. It is found that underutilization of forest resources can be a cause of serious environmental degradation and marginalization of forest communities, and that Nishiawakura’s journey to renew forest management in partnership with migrants is a process of revisiting and creating the forest-people relationship. This study advances two related arguments, namely (1) the interaction of the local people and the migrants brings new perspectives to forest management, and (2) in a community facing depopulation and underutilization of forest resources, social forestry can be an effective approach to rediscover traditional forest management in a new form and revitalize forests and local communities.     

中国天然林保护工程区目前急需解决的技术问题和对策

分析了天保工程不同区域存在的基本矛盾和问题,从面临的众多问题中总结归纳出退化天然林恢复与重建、非木质林产品资源开发利用、天然林近自然采育更新和结构调整、工程区防灾减灾和森林健康状况保持、天然林资源动态时空分析与评价等5个重大而急需解决的技术问题;提出了推广应用现有技术成果、针对新问题设立课题研究和引进国际先进理论技术为工程服务的总体对策;并针对5大问题进行深入分析,提出了人工促进退化天然林恢复、森林近自然经营及健康状态监测等解决问题的关键理论和技术要点.     

Community Forestry and Sustainable Development in Rural Area

After analysis on the current situation of international forestry, this paper proposes that integration, coordination and sustainable development will be the general developing trend of forest in China, and commercial forest, ecological forest and community forest should be organically combined with integrative development and sustainable development in rural areas. This paper focuses especially on clarifying the importance of community forest to the social development or rural areas, and emphasizes that the key point of forestry should be turned from biological and technical aspects to humane and social aspects.     

印度林业科技现状与发展趋势

印度政府把林业排在国民经济的第2位,其林业科技政策重视可持续发展目标和社会目标,强调国家机构间的密切合作,鼓励地方更多地参与林业科研和森林的管理和保护。印度制定和实施了以可持续森林管理为主要内容的国家林业行动计划,对森林采取多效益综合经营方式,重点是发展社会林业,其中参与式森林经营方法如联合森林经营,有效地解决了林业发展与当地社会、经济之间的冲突。印度在林业遥感、流域治理、保护区网络、社会林业等研究领域走在发展中国家前列,其林业科学研究注重实用性,在重视基础研究的同时强调开发和推广林业适用技术。印度还积极组织各种社会力量进行林业科技扶贫,提倡产学研结合。今后的林业科技发展将继续重视人工林营造和林产品加工研究,强调开发和推广林业适用技术,并强化森林资源的保护。     

Homestead forest resources and their role in household economy: A case study in the villages of Gazipur Sadar Upazila of central Bangladesh

This study examines the species composition, diversity and economic importance of homestead forests in the household economy of central Bangladesh. The study documents 57 homestead forest species and their main usage in 90 households across three villages of Gazipur Sadar Upazila. Homestead forests in Bangladesh comprise a mixture of fruit, timber and bamboo species. While superficially homestead forestry appears unimportant in rural livelihoods, in reality the contribution is huge, both as a source of food security and for other necessary household materials. A clear understanding of the physical characteristics and economic role of homestead forests in rural livelihoods is vital for ensuring sustainable resource management. Income and production of homestead forestry on a per hectare basis are found to vary widely between landholding size classes. Significant relationships are identified between forest performance (production and income) and species richness and education level. Homestead forestry appears to be a potential subsistence income generating land-use practice in the study area. The economic scope of homestead forestry can be further enhanced provided the appropriate species composition of the forest is achieved and the education of forest owners is ensured through targeted management and policy interventions.     

Sustainable management of planted forests: some comparisons between Central Europe and the United States

Following the introduction of planned forestry and the regular high forest system more than 250 years ago, forests in Central Europe became increasingly shaped by plantation silviculture. Many natural woodlands were replaced by planted forests, and forest plantations are still being established through afforestation of extensive land areas. Nowadays, forests are managed for many different purposes, including wood production, recreation, ecological, cultural, and amenity values, biodiversity, and soil and groundwater protection. This brings new challenges to forest management and silviculture. To reach a sustainable forestry, in the sense of Brundtland (WCED 1987), we are now reshaping European forestry toward a more nature oriented silviculture. Maybe forestry in the United States and elsewhere can benefit from the mistakes made in Europe during the last two centuries and take a shortcut toward sustainable forestry.     

From farm forestry to farm and forestry in south-western France as a result of changes in a ‘house-centred’ social structure

The importance of the ecological functions of farm forests in France calls for a better understanding of the social systems influencing forest management. The traditional ‘house-centred system’ involved a sharing of activities in farm forestry between fathers and their sons. Retired farmers were traditionally managers of the forests while their sons dealt with farming activities. The evolution of this relationship since World War 2 has been investigated with an ethnologic approach in two villages in south-western France where the traditional ‘house-centred system’ constrains the social rules. This system has led to a lifetime status for fathers as head of the farm and of the household. Before WW2, sons played a secondary role in relation to their fathers who took strategic decisions. After WW2, sons became more involved in the forest work and decisions which led to a more frequent use of agricultural methods in forests. This created differences of opinion between fathers and sons, with the fathers considering their sons’ management too intensive. The social consequence was that the fathers felt that their role as forest managers and as head of the farm was reduced. In future, farm forest management might become more dependent on agricultural activities, with the traditional social systems losing importance.     

森林生态旅游对林业可持续发展的贡献与影响

阐述林业可持续发展的基本概念。结合我国林业可持续发展面临的基金缺乏、现念陈旧等方面的问题和森林生态旅游的特点，探讨森林生态旅游为公益林的经营提供内部资金保障、为商品林的发展减轻负担、提高人们的林业发展现念等对林业可持续发展的积极作用。     

青阳县林业可持续发展的对策研究

本文立足于青阳县森林资源特点的分析,归纳出林地利用率不高,森林资源少,分布不均;林分年龄分结构不合理,中幼林多,近成熟林少;林种结构比例不合理,商品林多,公益林少;重造轻管,林分质量差,综合效益低四大问题,研究探讨了实现林业可持续发展的五大对策,即：应用生物措施来培育和改良土壤,增加林业产出;加强中幼林可持续经营抚育,提高林分质量和产量;调整林种结构,培育持续、多功能的森林;依靠科技支撑发展林业,不断提高林业建设的科技含量与综合效益;树立循环经济理念,优化林业产业结构等。这对南方林区促进林业及森林的可持续发展具有重要的借鉴意义。     

不同森林经营措施对木材产量和碳储量的影响

在应对全球气候变化中, 林业具有特殊地位和重要功能, 以社会、经济和环境可持续发展为目标的森林可持续经营是全球趋势。文中阐述了森林在减缓和适应气候变化中的独特作用; 重点分析了不同营林措施对木材产量和碳储量的影响, 并结合可持续林业的发展趋势评价了不同经营模式框架下木材产量与碳储量之间的平衡; 针对全球气候变化对森林生态系统带来的挑战, 探讨了今后森林经营措施的研究重点和难点, 旨在为制定合理的经营方案提供理论依据。     

对可持续森林经营方案一些问题的思考

编制可持续森林经营方案是实现林业可持续发展的重要保障。研究了可持续森林经营需要的相关信息与传统森林资源调查之间的差距,分析了可持续森林经营方案在林业行业管理中的地位、作用以及现阶段编制可持续森林经营方案存在的问题,并提出了相关建议。     

宜春林业可持续发展探讨

森林可持续经营是林业可持续发展的核心,它的基本任务是要满足现在和将来对森林多种服务功能的需要,满足人类生活质量持续提高的需要,实现森林生态系统与其他系统间的协调、稳定与发展。通过对宜春森林资源的分析,提出可持续发展的一些措施。     

Sustaining family forests in rural landscapes: Rationale,challenges, and an illustration from oregon,USA

Family forests are critical components of rural landscapes, societies and economies. In Oregon, where nonindustrial private forests comprise only 16% of the forestland base, the ecological, social and economic impact of this ownership category is disproportionately large. This is due to the landscape position these lands occupy, the diversification they contribute to forest cover and local economies, and the political and cultural connections they provide to urban populations. The significance of this ownership category is even greater in the United States as a whole, where nonindustrial private forests comprise nearly two-thirds of the commercial forestland base, dominating rural landscapes in many regions of the country. Despite the important role family forests play, their ability to contribute to the wellbeing of rural areas is challenged by several dynamic factors, including industrial consolidation in global wood markets, loss of family forestland to corporate ownership, and parcelization and fragmentation of family forestland at the urban fringe. Moreover, family forestry does not enjoy a strong social contract with the American public, which is largely ignorant of the existence of this ownership class. A foundation of broad social approval and appreciation for family forestry is prerequisite to development of policies which can sustain family forestland ownerships and the contributions they make. This paper draws from recent research in Oregon to argue that, whereas most research on nonindustrial private forests has focused on economics and management at the individual producer level, these challenges demand greater attention to the role of family forests in the wider context of landscape, culture and rural economy.     

Linking quality of life and forest values in rural areas: an exploratory study of stakeholder perspectives in the rural community of Konitsa, Greece

This study attempts to identify and associate the perceivedforest and rural quality of life values that people hold inrural areas in order to form a basis for improving forest managementdecision-making. The perceived forest and rural values of twodistinct local stakeholder goups are summarized from a surveyundertaken in the rural community of Konitsa. The empiricalevidence suggests that the respondents associate quality ofrural life mainly with the attractiveness of nature and landscapeas well as a sense of community life. In particular, multi-purposeforestry remains not only an issue within the scientific communityand forest policymakers but also is espoused widely by the localcommunity. The analysis identified certain value preferencepatterns between contemporary rural values and major forestvalues; it acknowledged forests as an integrative part of people'sinteraction with the living conditions in Konitsa. The natureof these preference patterns shows that there may be opportunitiesfor enhancing forest contributions to rural development whichevolve from a purely productive-based practice into a styleof forestry to improve environmental public goods, strengthencommunity stability, create amenity forests, and enhance thequality of life in the broader sense. Local forest decision-makersshould consider not only the socio-economic environment or thedynamic of the area but also the perceived standard of livingin the area. The study observed the dissonance between currentforest practices and local expectations. It implies that anintegrated and ecosystem-based forest strategy should be adoptedto evaluate more accurately the contributions of forestry tolocal demands and rural well-being, be open and democratic andlay claim to involvement at the local level.     

Private native forestry in new landscapes: challenges and opportunities in New South Wales

Understanding the changes occurring within the forestry sector is complicated by socio-economic and demographic changes within rural communities - sometimes in areas where commercial forestry has a long tradition. These changes in some rural communities, particularly coastal New South Wales, appear significant for forestry because land ownership and management are increasingly disconnected from the traditional agricultural land use. There is an increasing population of landowners in ‘lifestyle’ landscapes who do not appear primarily driven by maximising the profitability of farming. The shift from ‘production’ to ‘lifestyle’ landscapes also reflects a transition in community expectations for forestry - a profound change that is likely to require quite different approaches to management. Landholders may be more likely to be interested in forestry with multiple values, including both timber products and environmental services. Furthermore, well-managed native forests that are integrated into individual properties and wider landscapes, may increase the market value of the property, representing a prudent business investment. This paper presents a method for analysing the relationship between rural land values and the estimated agricultural value of typical farms in a number of localities in New South Wales, as a means of interpreting the underlying social values of landholders. It is argued that such analysis can be helpful in identifying changes in community values as a signal that approaches to private native forestry may also need to change to accommodate the aspirations of ‘lifestyle’ landholders, who may value the aesthetics of native forests more highly than timber production.     

21世纪世界林业发展战略和经营模式

本文就世界各种林业经营理论、发展战略和经营模式进行深入的探讨,并对其21世纪的发展趋势进行预测。     

发展经济林支撑林业的可持续发展

可持续发展是 2 1世纪社会发展的唯一途径。森林是维持可持续发展的保证 ,经济林是森林可持续发展的支撑点。大力发展经济林是林业可持续发展的最优选择     

20世纪中国乡村林业变迁初探

论述了20世纪中国乡村林种与树种变迁及其发展热点,探讨了各时期发展乡村林业的异同措施和变迁机理。     

乡村林业的发展及其意义

乡村林业(或称社会林业) 是发展中国家发展林业的一种重要模式.文章介绍了一些发展中国家在施行乡村林业方面所做的努力及取得的成效.中国发展乡村林业历史悠久, 文章通过介绍几种典型的乡村林业模式, 论述了中国乡村林业的发展概况.作者认为, 中国的乡村林业实践已取得了丰富的经验, 在中国推行乡村林业前景广阔.     

对中国林业可持续发展问题的基本认识

林业是环境再生产的主导产业。林业可持续发展,关键在于规范和调整林业部门的经营、管理行为。而森林的可持续经营强调通过对森林生态系统的有效经营管理。为社会经济发展提供多种物质产品和环境服务功能。中国林业发展面临着：巨大的人口压力、经济运行体制和变革、现行林业政策体系不健全,以及土地资源相对不足、水资源总量少、生态环境形势依然严峻的现实。林业发展目标取向的现实差异,要求政府建立起活当的协调机制,在保障森林经营者、部门,乃至全体公民合法权益的基础上,实现林业可持续发展社会、经济、生态环境目标的协调。关于林业可持续发展实践,一是要明显特定区域对林业的需求结构和自然基础;二是建立相应的社会、经济、生态环境目标和森林目标;三是构筑起配套的技术体系;四是完美政策保障体系。中国自然资源结构、地理特征和社会经济发展进程中,对于林产