Abstract
In Kawakami-mura which is the center of the Yoshino forestry area, the Yamamori system where local peoples called Yamamori are entrusted with the care of absentee owner's forest in response to consignment from the end of the Edo period has performed forest management in the village. However, inactivation of a wood price and aggravation of the profitability of forest management, and continuation of the Yamamori system is a critical situation in recent years. This research aimed at clarifying the actual condition of Yamamori's qualitative change. Fact-finding on the spot to Yamamori was conducted in 2004 based on the Yamamori list made in 1965. Consequently, it turns out that 54% of Yamamori of 243 totals already went out of Yamamori. Yamamori with a smaller management forest area is in the tendency for discontinuance of business to progress, Yamamori of a management forest area of 100ha or less has a low income dependence to forests, and pursuing a side business and aging are advancing more. In the future, they lose the knowledge and technique about forests and are considered that a possibility of playing only the role which patrols forests is high. The amount of enterprises in a management forest is decreasing, and it became clear that some Yamamori produce logs in forest other than management forests.
