Updated by "Forest Circular Economy" Editorial Board on February 25, 2026, 9:41 AM JST
Editorial Board, Forest Circular Economy
Forestcircularity-editor
We aim to realize "Vision 2050: Japan Shines, Forest Circular Economy" promoted by the Platinum Forest Industry Initiative. We will disseminate ideas and initiatives to promote biomass chemistry, realize woody and lumbery communities, and encourage innovation in the forestry industry in order to fully utilize forest resources to decarbonize the economy, strengthen economic security, and create local communities.
Mitsui Fudosan and Nippon Paper Industries will plant seedlings of the new "Clean Larch" variety, which has high CO2 fixation capacity, in forests owned by the two groups in Hokkaido. The large-scale afforestation will be realized thanks to Nippon Paper Industries' proprietary seedling production technology, which has made it possible to efficiently increase production. The plantation is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2026, with the aim of achieving sustainable forestry and the recycling of forest resources.
Clean Larch is a crossbreed of Guimatsu (Pinus guinensis) and Japanese larch, and was developed by the Hokkaido Research Institute. Its main feature is that its CO2 fixation capacity is 7% to 20% higher than that of ordinary larch. In addition, its relatively fast growth rate reduces the number of underbrush clearing, which is a major burden in the process of cultivation.
In addition, it is expected to resist feeding damage by field mice, which has become an issue in recent years, and has excellent trunk straightness and strength, and is attracting attention as a next-generation tree species in terms of both environmental contribution and industrial use.
Until now, propagation of clean larch by cuttings has been difficult, and the supply system for seedlings has not been well established, which has prevented its widespread use. However, Nippon Paper Industries' proprietary technology cultivated through overseas afforestation has enabled the company to establish a system capable of producing saplings 10 times more efficiently than before. As a result, a concrete afforestation plan will be launched in earnest in the forests owned by Asahikawa City and other locations as part of Mitsui Fudosan's "Never-Ending Forest" creation project.
The background to this initiative is the fusion of the Mitsui Fudosan Group's vision of forest circulation and the Nippon Paper Group's advanced sapling production technology. Mitsui Fudosan owns a vast forest of approximately 5,000 hectares in Hokkaido, and the company is continuing its efforts to create a recycling cycle of "plant, grow, use" on its own. Meanwhile, Nippon Paper Industries, as a "comprehensive biomass company that develops the future together with trees," has focused on revitalizing the forestry industry by promoting the use of elite trees with outstanding characteristics.
By bringing together the strengths of the two companies, a model case for sustainable forestry that reduces environmental impact while ensuring profitability will be presented. In addition to activities to promote the use of clean larch in Hokkaido, joint research will be conducted to verify the northern limit of its growth. This project, in which private companies will complement each other's fields and technologies to maximize the value of forest resources, will be an important step toward the realization of sustainable forestry and forest cycles.
