Abstract
It is said that Japan is country whose two-thirds are coverd with forest. Forest is of a great value as a country space which is not only for its large area but for its economical function that supplies wood materials, cultivational one as water resouces, preservational one of natural environment that keeps safe from a flood or a landslide, and recreational one. When we are talking about use of our land, we recognize a significant utility of forest. In those situation, nessesity of prospection about function and role of forests has been pointed out from the stand of valuable use of forest resouces and estbalishment of agricultural foundation. So in the field of agricultural planning whose purpose is preservation and important on living environment, it can be said that arguments about utilization of forest resouces in agricultural mountain village are important and emergency problems. From those point of view, this paper considers the use of forest, especially of forest owned in common, which greatry influences the land future use in agricultural mountain area, and treat two villages at Chugoku montains in Hiroshima prefecture as an example. According to two indexes, that is to say, the total common forest area and that per capita, this paper divides forests into three classes; (A) Small-Scale, (B) Middle-Scale, and (C) Large-Scale. And this paper clarifies the structural aspects of common forest by each scale, in aspects of possession form, use form, afforestation form, labor form, and etc.
