Current Situation of Forest Use in Fukushima 10 Years after the Nuclear Power Plant Accident

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the current state of forest use in Fukushima Prefecture, where 10 years have passed since the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident, from the perspectives of wood production, food production (e.g., wild food, sawdust for mushroom bed, mushroom logs, and compost), and spatial uses for recreation and education. As a result, although the use of food production is still largely stagnant, wood production and spatial uses for recreation and education showed a trend of recovery throughout the prefecture. In particular, it was considered that continuous monitoring and publicity of air dose rates by facility operators and governments contributed to the recovery of spatial uses for recreation and education. In the Soso region, where the power plant locates and the current situation is different from other regions, the delay in the recovery of wood production has been affected by the reduction in the production of national forest timber. The following issues were identified for the future: increasing the price of stumpage, expanding the demand for hardwood timber, lifting restrictions on food shipments, and continued monitoring to ensure the public about the safety of space.