We analyzed the nutrient composition of two varieties of wild Japanese walnut (Juglans mandshurica var. sachalinensis and Juglans mandshurica var. cordiformis) and Japanese stone oak (Lithocarpus edulis) to reappraise their values as food resources. We evaluated previously unreported mineral and vitamin contents, and compared those with that of other species within the same genus and family. The Japanese walnut varieties showed higher magnesium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, and manganese contents than the Persian walnut (Juglans regia), whereas L. edulis had higher manganese and copper contents than other Fagaceae species. J. mandshurica var. sachalinensis had higher gamma-tochopherol and vitamin B₁ contents than other walnut species. L. edulis presented higher vitamin K₁ and C contents than chestnut species (Castanea spp.). The proportions of inedible parts to the total weight (refuse proportion) for J. mandshurica var. sachalinensis, J. mandshurica var. cordiformis, and L. edulis were 73.6%, 72.1%, and 35.3%, respectively.

Due to the increase in the population of sika deer and their expanding distribution, deer browsing is causing serious damage to plantations in many areas. To assess the risk of damage to young conifer plantations caused by the deer on a wide-area, we created deer damage risk map for young Sugi plantations of the Kyushu region based on five field signs (bark stripping marks on mature planted trees, deer fecal pellets, browsing marks on the understory vegetation, deer tracks and trails). The map showed several high impacted areas and front lines of deer expansion. It is better to manage the deer population in these areas to reduce browsing damages in plantations.

We monitored the early growth of young cedar trees for three years in a clear-logged site in central Shikoku using conventional seedlings and two cutting varieties from Kyushu; ‘Takaoka#1’ and ‘Tanoaka.’ The ratio of height to stem diameter (H/D ratio) was very high for Shikoku conventional seedlings at the planting, and then the H/D ratio of three tree types became almost equivalent after one year. No difference was found among the height of the three tree types three years after planting, though ‘Tanoaka’ had a smaller stem diameter and larger H/D ratio, and ‘Takaoka#1’ showed a smaller H/D ratio. The relatively cool condition at the study site might inhibit the height growth of two cutting varieties, thus it requires choosing planting areas carefully in Shikoku for cedar cutting varieties from Kyushu.

The original paper-based Towada-Hakkoda National Park Vegetation Survey Reports was scanned and preserved as a part of digital archiving of the National Natural Forests Survey Reports from the early Showa era. We translated the survey reports written in classical Japanese to modern Japanese, and made a corresponding table of old and modern plant species names as well. The original report summarized a series of forest surveys of national natural forests in the national park at the areas of the Lake Towada and Hakkoda mountains, which are thought to have been conducted between 1933 and 1936. In the reports, comprehensive descriptions of various vegetation types in the area including the compositional structure and distribution of major plant species were presented. Moreover, the nature of vegetation conservation and vertical vegetational distribution were discussed. It provides useful information for long-term ecological study in a mountainous region, and is also a valuable academic asset that demonstrates insights and research capabilities of forest officers of that time regarding natural environment and forest vegetation.