Abstract
The land use associated with the production of garden and green trees in traditional garden and green trees production areas, which originated in the late Edo and Meiji periods, represents a significant aspect of Japanese rural livelihoods that requires consideration of conservation purposes. In order to develop effective conservation measures, it is necessary to understand the transition of the land use associated with the production of garden and green trees. The aim of this study is to identify the transition of the land use associated with the production of garden and green trees in Tanushimaru District of Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture, through statistical analysis of spatial information. The main findings are as follows: (1) The quantity of tree fields exhibited variability in accordance with the demand for garden and green trees. (2) The majority of tree fields were situated on alluvial fans and flood plains, which had previously been utilized for paddy fields. (3) The elevation and slope of tree fields were found to decrease. (4) The conversion patterns from paddy fields to tree fields that were maintained over time were concentrated on alluvial fans, whereas conversion patterns from paddy fields to tree fields and then back to paddy fields were concentrated on flood plains. Our findings offer land use conservation measures that contribute to adaptation to natural disasters and succession of garden and green tree production.
