Stewartia monadelpha and S. serrata are distributed in the Amagi Mountains of the Izu Peninsula, Shizuoka Prefecture. These two species are morphologically similar and have overlapping distributions. However, it is not clear how they divide forest habitats within the same mountain. In the seedling stage, both species appear not only in the forest understory but also in the pioneer stands of herb and shrub communities. Focusing on the layers above shrubs, S. serrata shows high coverage and sociability in the community types of Weigelo-Alnetalia firmae Ohba et Sugawara 1979 and Fraxino-Ulmetalia Suz.-Tok. 1967, which indicates unstable site conditions regardless of ecological factors such as geomorphism and dry–wet gradients. Compared with S. serrata, S. monadelpha is more ubiquitous. In particular it occurs in all layers of beech forest, Saso-Fagetalia crenatae Suz.-Tok. 1966, and has a similar regeneration process to beech. The above information is insufficient to explain the habitat isolation of S. monadelpha and S. serrata using ecological factors such as geomorphism and dry–wet gradients; however, we predict that this is determined by dynamic factors such as life type and disturbance regime.

A comprehensive phytosociological hierarchy of Japanese forest vegetation has not been published for 24 years since Miyawaki, Okuda & Fujiwara (1994). In this report, we reorganized the phytosociological hierarchy of Alnetea japonicae Miyawaki, Fujiwara et Mochizuki 1977 on the basis of the accumulated scientific articles and phytosociological nomenclature. Several vegetation units were integrated based on the characteristic species combination and the distribution range. We confirmed 1 order, 1 alliance, and 6 associations in Alnetea japonicae on the Japanese archipelago and described the synonyms and the differences from the conventional system of vegetation classification.

A comprehensive phytosociological system of Japanese forest vegetation has not been published for 24 years since Miyawaki, Okuda & Fujiwara (1994). In this report, we reorganized the phytosociological system of the order Tsugetalia sieboldii Suz.-Tok. 1966 in the class Fagetea crenatae Miyawaki, Ohba et Murase 1964 according to the latest scientific articles and phytosociological nomenclature. Several vegetation units were integrated based on the presence of characteristic species and the extent of distributional range. We found 8 alliances and 57 associations in the order Tsugetalia sieboldii in the Japanese archipelago and described the synonyms and ecological characters of vegetation units. And vegetation units judged to be relative to the Tsugetalia sieboldii were 2 alliances and 12 associations.

Phytosociological survey was conducted to investigate coastal forest vegetation and Afromontane forests at Arabuko-Sokoke in Kilifi County and Chyulu Hills National Park in Makueni County , Kenya. Some vegetation communities and the series of succession were clarified. Hymenaea verrucosa community and Brachystegia spiciformis community occurred at less than 50 m above sea level, while Brachyleana huilensis community appeared at higher places at Arabuko-Sokoke. The Brachystegia spiciformis community was secondary forest vegetation of the Hymenaea verrucosa community, which is natural vegetation on white sandy soil, and the Brachyleana huilensis community was independent from these communities. The Hymenaea verrucosa community was thought to be a kind of potential natural vegetation in coastal areas in Eastern Africa. The Prunus africana–Ilex mitis community was found at Chyulu Hills National Park as Afromontane forest. Prunus africana and Ilex mitis occurred in canopy instead of Ocotea kenyensis, O. usambarensis, Podocarpus latifolius, and P. falcatus by geological conditions.

Although a large number of activities have been conducted in planting so-called construction of environmental protection forests by use of potted saplings, little has been done to explore continuously the growing behavior of planted saplings. The growing process of potted saplings was investigated for 10 years in Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture. The average height 10 years after planting for evergreen broad-leaved tree at the Fuji site exhibited 496 cm and 534 cm on summer green trees, and showed a 74.0 mm and 82.7 mm basal diameter, respectively. These data on height and basal diameter were compared with several other data on environmental protection forests in Japan. As a result of comparison, the growing process of the Fuji site evaluate well-developed cases in both height and basal diameter. Especially the measured value of summer green trees at the Fuji site obtained remarkably satisfactory results. It seemed that warm temperatures, fertile top soil, and intensive and premeditated management are attributed to the superior growing process of planted saplings at the Fuji site.

We investigated the 10-year growth of the ecotope (complex nature restoration area) Asahi-inochino-mori at the Fuji office of Asahi Kasei Corporation in Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture. The natural evergreen forest and the Satoyama forest (coppice with summer green broad-leaved trees), regenerated by the mixed and dense planting method, grew 0. 9 m per year linearly, in 2017 reaching 10 m, 10 years after planting. The canopies of these regenerated forests were closed in 3.5 years, and the incoming woody plants grew on the forest floor in 4.5 years. The number of incoming species in Satoyama forest in 2017 reached about three times that of natural forest. It is estimated that this difference in the number of species is due to the high illuminance in the forest in the Satoyama forest. Most of the constituent species of Satoyama forest are newly incoming species. The species compositions of the forests in the ecotope were similar to natural forests as each of the regeneration targets. However, many herbs of forests that appeared in natural forests were absent in the regeneration forests. Growth of those herbs will take more time. There are 21 vegetation units growing in this ecotope. Two associations and one community of wetland grassland were common with Ukishimagahara Mire in Fuji City. In addition to the two kinds of forests, this ecotope is characterized by rare communities such as the Myosotis baltica community at the waterside of the stream, fringe communities such as the Oplismenus undulatifolius community, and the Imperata cylindrica var. koenigii community around the paddy fields.