Study on management of a farm forest affected by change to recreational use as the Ushiku Nature Sanctuary

Abstract

This study identified change of vegetation and management affected by change in use objective from farm forest to forest park. We focused on the "Ushiku Nature Sanctuary" where a farm forest was re-developed for recreational use. Spatial and temporal analysis, interviews with relevant parties and bibliographic investigation revealed that diverse vegetation originated differently in the two forests. In the farm forest, varied landscapes of different vegetation types resulted from mosaic-patterned utilization of forest products, such as periodic logging and floor vegetation collection. In contrast, different vegetation communities formed diverse landscapes in Nature Sanctuary with the aim of creating a variety of nature experiences for visitors. Amongst such experiences, farm forest landscape was included, which we found it took a substantial proportion of management efforts. However, we also found that the Nature Sanctuary management did not include logging, despite its importance for landscape maintenance. These results suggest that inclusion of logging regime is necessary in the management plan in order to revive farm forest vegetation and resulting landscape.