Abstract
The Japanese beech tree (Fagus crenata Blume) prefers a cooler climate and thus its large communities are found in the mountain areas of northern Japan. However, there are some distributional areas around the summits of the Suzuka Mountains and the largest one proliferates at the headwater area of the Asake River. A global warming simulation predicts the complete decay of its population within a century. Hence, we began an ecological survey for these beach trees and have gathered locational and biological data for around 700 individual trees since 2010. Through the survey, the characteristics of the tree community such as the relation between the age versus the breast height diameter, the age distribution of trees and the spatial distribution of trees have been determined. A future survey planned for 2013 and 2014 will increase our understanding for the forest.
