Abstract
In order to investigate the structure of attitudes toward forests among the residents of the southern watershed region of Shiga Prefecture, a questionnaire survey was conducted. By examining the relationships among the responses, the following issues were clarified: the determinants of one’s familiarity with forests, one’s propensity to participate in forest volunteering, one’s propensity to choose houses built from domestic wood, and how people perceive the functions of forests. An individual’s age was found to be an important factor affecting his/her relationships with forests. Diversities regarding expectations toward the functions of forests were identified among different age groups and residents of different localities.
