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InnovationInnovation

Exploring the dramatic evolution of forestry with DX and GX and new ways of working for us

11.18Tue 2025

Transforming the Forestry Industry with Data and Connecting the Region with Circulation: The Challenge of Shibata Sangyo, Iwate [Platinum Forest Industry Initiative Lecture] (Japanese only)

Why hasn't productivity in the forestry industry increased? As labor shortages and costs continue to rise, how can we change the structure of the forestry industry and how can we maintain it as a regional industry?

10.30Thu 2025

# Daily Life of Women in Forestry: Kyushu] Connecting the Blessings of the Forest with Techniques, Messages from the Field

The Kyushu region, with its mild and rainy climate, boasts some of the nation's best forest resources, with cedar and cypress trees thriving in the region. Oguni cedar, Hita cedar, and other high-quality [...].

10.16Thu 2025

# Daily Life of a Forestry Girl: Kinki/Chugoku] Doing Hard Work and Raising Children! Bringing a New Breeze to the Work Site

The warm and humid climate of the Kinki and Chugoku regions is rich in forest resources, with coniferous trees such as Japanese cedar and cypress being produced in abundance. [...].

10.15Wed 2025

Unmanned Helicopter to Streamline Acquisition of Forest Data by Single Tree Unit Remote Sensing Verification Demonstration Launched through Cross-Industrial Collaboration of Oji HD, Yamaha Motor, and Precision Forestry Measurement

Oji Holdings, Yamaha Motor, and Precision Forestry Measurement have collaborated on the acquisition and analysis of forest information using remote sensing [...].

10.14Tue 2025

Sustainable Forest Management and Institutional Design Learning from Switzerland Integrated Management of Public Forests to Create Forest Cycles

Why has the "circular forest economy" not been realized in Japan? Chapter 7 of "Forests and Time," for which the author was in charge of writing, "Forest Management's Party Nature [...].

10.9Thu 2025

Innovations in Technology for Easily and Accurately Measuring Forests Visualizing Forest Resources with a Simple Forest Measurement Tool Using a Commercially Available All-Sky Camera

In recent years, the role that forests play in the realization of the SDGs (*1) and carbon neutrality by 2050 (*2) has attracted much attention [...].

9.22Mon 2025

# Daily Life of Women in Forestry: Shikoku] Deepening Local Connections through Forest-Related Activities

Shikoku is blessed with a mild climate and abundant precipitation, and its forest resources support the livelihood and culture of the region. Surrounded by rugged mountains and clear streams, nature [...].

9.16Tue 2025

Managing the Wood Supply Chain in Light of the Rice Riots and Wood Shock

From 2024 to 2025, a rice shortage will occur and rice prices will soar nationwide, causing the so-called "2024 rice riots" [...].

9.9Tue 2025

Japan's forest resources continue to increase due to postwar afforestation.

As noted in my column of May 9, the prewar period forests were in a very different situation from that of today. According to the "Accumulated Statistics on Forest Area since Meiji Era (Forest [...]".

8.27Wed 2025

# Daily Life of Women in Forestry: Chubu] Communicating a wide range of activities, including local events that connect forests and people.

The majestic mountains and rich forest resources of the Chubu region have long supported local lifestyles and industries. From forests close to urban areas to [...].

8.15Fri 2025

The Growing Need for Broad-based Forester Training and Institutional Upgrading in a Japan with a Declining Population.

The starting point of the "circular forest economy" is forest management and forestry operations. How to develop and secure the leaders of the forestry industry is the same as other industries [...].

8.12Tue 2025

Why Japan Needs a "Circular Forest Economy" Now: Resource Self-Sufficiency, Lifelong Growth, and a Resident-Financed Platinum Society

As Chairman of the Platinum Initiative Network and former President of the University of Tokyo, I have long been thinking about the future of Japan. Now, the world [...].

8.5Tue 2025

# Daily Life of Women in Forestry: Tohoku] Realistic transmission of large vehicles and chainsaw operation

The Tohoku region, with its vast forests, is one of Japan's leading forestry regions. A variety of tree species such as Aomori hiba (cypress), Akita cedar, red pine, and beech are found in the region [...].

7.30Wed 2025

What communication is needed to eliminate "unfortunate mountain forests" that lose value after a long harvest season

In late June, we conducted a forest survey. The local forestry association's counselor, a person who wants to sell the forest (the owner), a person who wants to buy the forest, and me. The forest owner is a high [...].

7.25Fri 2025

Forest Circular Economy, edited by Hiroshi Komiyama, is a vision for the year 2050: Rebuilding Japan as a resource-rich nation will start with its forests.

The national challenges facing Japan today - carbon neutrality by 2050, regional sustainability, and resource self-sufficiency. These [...]...

7.24Thu 2025

# Daily Life of Women in Forestry: Kanto] Woodworking Workshops and Other Interactions with Local Residents

Although most people may think of mountainous regions when they hear the word "forestry," there are actually vast forests in the Kanto region as well. Tokyo and Saitama [...].

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