Development of sustainable forestry managed by forestry cooperatives

: A Case Study of Ryujin Village Forestry Cooperative in Wakayama Prefecture

Abstract

In the forestry industry in Japan, there are issues that have a negative impact on the survival of the forestry industry, such as the problem of absentee village forest owners. Especially in privately owned forest areas, forest management is often carried out by forest cooperatives when there are many absentee village forest owners. The purpose of this study is to examine the sustainability of forestry from the viewpoints of forest owners and timber production, using the case of Ryujin-mura Forest Association in Wakayama Prefecture, which has conducted community forestry on a village-wide basis.