Concept of Forest Utilization System Study

■Young Study Area

'Forest utilization sytem study' is a comparatively new term based on forest engineering study and the study concept has not completed yet. In Japan A new framework 'forest science' replaces from conventional that 'forestry' to apply to more wide study area. Under such a situation the forest utilization system study was born and expected as covering the wide field. In the future we will clarify and define the concept and field of study. Here we suggest that thinking the present concept of the forest utilization system study.

■A Balance Between Deforestation and Reforestation

In the history a relationship to human and the forest is that social deforestation and natural reforestation. The balance of both had depended on the countries, policies, cultures, or societies. Until recently people had been thought that the forest resources were unlimited and the forest area were obstruction for agliculture or industries. However at present the balance has lost, and the essential forest resources in our life are of valuabe and of flagile. Dameged forest area like this requier to regenerate not only the power of nature but also the human technology of silviculture and protection.

■Usage and Preservation in Same Category

Recent deforestation issues in many developing countries result from a condition unbalanced between usage and preservation to overuse forest resources for fuel or income just to suit the occasion. Properly usage must be carried out to be better tomorrow at the same time doing preservation or silviculture. Then on the forest utilization through long time, both of usage and preservation should be consided in same category. It is nothing but a sustainable management. We forest utilization system lablatoly is conducting the researches from following three viewpoints.

■Development of Forest Engineering Technology

First of viewpoints is development of forest engineering technology to two groups, namely the one is the improvement of operation environments, and the another is the development of technology of the road construction or logging. The former operation with risks to deal with heavy timber or to go up high trees is improved security and efficiency to advance high-performance mechanization. On the other hand, because the developments affect directly forest environment or the stability of soil, it is necessary to develop the technology that don't disturb the environment or soil, espcialy in such as Japanese forest area with much rainy and steepness. At the same time it must be also economic efficiently. We are studying to aim to a engineering technology linked with and not affected the environment.

■Evaluation of Forest Function

Next is an evaluation of forest for human society. Forest has not one function but many that at the same time, such as ccnservation of water, timber product, recliation, control of soil. In order to manage sustained, each functions needs to be evaluated exactly. Even if forest area of what kind of size, the evaluation starts from a analysis variable factors affected the functions. The factors include terrain, water, soil as physical environment, animal, plant as biological that, and landuse as social that, etc. On practical planning process, the forest area is zoned as to emphasis specific function meeting the object, purpose, public opinion. We are studing the method of adjustment and bringing together each factors and functions to evaluate exactly the forest area.

■Prediction of Influence after Yield

Third is prediction of influence after yield and development. Because forest once dameged takes long time to regenerate, the changeable range and intensity of yield is important to be decided before yield. Basic of prediction is following many past records, cases and researches, and a tracking survey after the fact should carry out for future study. A technique established in Japanese forest is not necessarily taken effect usefully, as it is, in tropical forest. We think that Japan as a developed country of forestry have a role to develop the prediction to meet over a variety of space and time scale.

■Forest Utilization System Study

The above three area of technical development, site evaluation and prediction after yield are explained about forest utilization study, but further the term of 'system' is lost. A concept of system not research separately compornents but deal with interaction between each elements. The direction of modern science has be in thinking separately. However forest science is applied science and so includes that are not understood just to reseach in parts. Forest utilization system study is that integrated widly mutual action in forest and linked into whole society.

Our research objects are wherever trees exist from urban-green to grobal forest. We forest utilization system study has pursued the development of sustainable forest management. At the end we will offer freely expertises and technique to people who need hardly our technology, and public-informate a little daily action for better forest to those who not be concernd with forest issues.