Utilizing of forest in the island of Yakushima [Japan], 1: Historical fluctuations in the management and utilization of Yakusugi (Cryptomeria japonica)
1998
Kira, K. (Kagoshima Univ. (Japan). Faculty of Agriculture) | Hirata, K. | Baba, H.
In the Island of Yakushima, there has been a close relationship between the national forests and the local livelihood, and its economical activities have been supported by forestry, especially by the utilization of Yakusugi, however, some considerable changes have been brought about in this form of utilization, recently. Therefore, in this paper, some researches were carried out to elucidate the historical fluctuations in the management and utilization of Yakusugi, including both the past and the present. The results obtained are as follows: 1) A sort of maximum utilization of Yakusugi has been executed in the process of modernization performed by our amestors since Meiji era, but recently, this has been switched over to the utilization to be carried out with deliberate considerations paid to the natural environment. 2) Furthermore, in December, 1933 the registration of this island as a World cultural Heritage was at last realized, which induced a sudden increasing in the number of sight-seeing population, incurring a significant change in the form of utilizing the forests. 3) At present, a low has been fixed, prohibiting to fell any Yakusugi which is more then 1,000 year old, limiting the utilization only to the buried woods, letting the yield volume be decreases sharply. 4) The Yakusugi-processing industry utilizing the buried woods has lent a large extending effect on to the local economy, on the other hand, this inevitably rings out, some baffling problems; threatening scarcity in the remaining volume, the acquisition of new resources and so on. 5) Utilizing the broad-leaved trees growing abundantly in this island was suggested to be one of the desirable counter attacks against these
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