ENVIRONMENT-JAPAN: Moving Towards Sustainable Forestry

By Suvendrini Kakuchi Reprint | | Print |

Suvendrini Kakuchi

TOKYO, Jul 13 2007 (IPS) - Tighter forest regulations and rising consumption of wood in the world are forcing Japan to depend less on timber imports and concentrate on sustainable harvesting its own forests – a long awaited change, point out experts here.

‘’The old image of Japan as the big bad gobbler of the world’s forests is now set to change. Ironically, it’s the growing appetite for wood in other parts of the world that is spearheading this important retrenching,” said Takahashi Fujiwara, spokesman for the Japan Wood Suppliers Organisation, that deals with the timber trade.

Fujiwara explained that the heady pace in economic development in countries like China, India and Russia, has put timber exporting countries at an advantage and changed the picture for rich Japanese construction conglomerates.

“Till a few years ago, the Japanese timber market was the world’s most lucrative. But as demand rises exporters have jacked up their prices, a situation that has poured cold water on Japan’s eagerness to maintain its imports,” he told IPS.

Statistics support this development. Wood products and logs from foreign sources now supply less than 80 percent of domestic market, with the domestic supply rising to around 21 percent from almost zero a decade ago

“Japanese cypress and cedar wood products are now growing popular among construction companies, a sign that the demand for cheap timber from abroad could be slowing down,” said Makoto Ozawa at the Forestry Agency.

The latest blow to Japan was an announcement by Russia to raise its export tariff on logs from the current 60 percent to 80 percent in 2009 given the depletion of this natural resource.

Japan buys more than 40 percent of Russian lumber, comprising logs that are processed by Japanese companies. Importing more logs from the United States, another important source, is not viewed as an alternative because of high shipment costs.

During the 1980s when tropical wood from Asia was the main source for lumber, pressure on Japan following rapid forest loss in South-east Asia resulted in plywood being used instead of logs.

Another recent crisis was the decision by Chinese exporters to slap a tariff on wooden chopsticks that sent the food industry into a tizzy as it threatened the practice of handing out free chopsticks to customers.

Japanese forest manager Toshihige Nakagochi, head of the Yuzahara-cho forest range of 18,000 ha of cedar trees, says imported lumber continues to be attractive to Japanese companies due to its cost effectiveness and reliability.

“Decades of neglect of the forests has resulted in a pathetic situation where the forestry industry is grappling with aged labour, high costs and lack of financial resources. While the price gap is not that big between domestic and imported timber, Japan cannot supply enough wood,’’ he explained to IPS.

Nakagochi heads a forest project in the area, located on Shikoku island, that is based on the forest stewardship council guidelines set in Germany for sustainable use of wood.

Under the watchful eye of World WildLife Fund, Japan, the forestry union aims to develop an ecologically viable timber trade that will become an example for other prefectures.

With this purpose in mind Nakagochi and his team have developed a careful harvesting strategy for the forest site that has mature harvestable cypress trees. They promote the timber as a source that emphasises a balance between business and preservation of natural resources.

The practice is slowly gaining public attention with trading of the certified domestic wood now conducted between the local forest agency and around 10 Japanese construction companies.

Another interesting development is a new tax to protect forests, introduced in some prefectures for sustainable environmental protection. The government has also launched a programme to increase forest labour – the Forest New-Employment Training project to add more than 5,000 new workers.

Some Japanese companies have also begun to set targets for domestic wood consumption – Hiroshima-based Chugoku Lumber Company has decided to increase to consume 600,000 cu m compared to the current 170,000 cu m.

Japanese companies have also begun growing trees in countries that have depleted forests such as Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. In Indonesia, Sumitomo Forestry, a leading importer of timber and once the target of angry environmentalists, has started a programme whereby it provides saplings to farmers in Indonesia and buys mature trees from them.