2026 Volume 108 Issue 6 Pages 145-155
Since the 2010s, urban forest management, which is closely associated with daily life and income generation, has received increasing public attention in Japan. This study focuses on human resource development for monetizing citizen activities in urban forest management and examines the implementation process and effectiveness of the project in Oiso Town, Kanagawa Prefecture. Oiso Town has been facing issues of underuse in its urban forests and has been conducting training sessions to educate citizens on small-scale forestry as a side job or part-time occupation since the introduction of the Forest Environment Transfer Tax in 2019. These efforts have led to three types of civic activities: 1) management of urban forests with supplementary income through firewood production, 2) initiatives to develop walking trails as a practice of urban forest utilization, and 3) employment in forestry businesses in non-urban areas outside the town. These outcomes have also resulted from the introduction of the Forest Environment Transfer Tax, the enthusiasm and experience of local government officials, the characteristics of Oiso Town's forests and region, and the national trend toward small-scale forestry. Nevertheless, challenges remain in areas such as the acquisition of forest management skills and the continued dependence on administrative officials.
