Abstract:We investigated local forest management practices in Osaka, Japan aiming to clarify mechanisms that hinder long-term, sustainable forestry operation by carrying out forest surveys and interview surveys. Because mountain districts in Japan now face declining and aging populations, forestry work has shifted to forest owners' associations, with efficient forest management being required on an ad hoc basis as a result of the subsidy system. We found that the forest management plan for the study site utilized only one-seventh of the economic value of the forest, mainly due to the local forestry structure and an inefficient subsidy system that requires efficiency. The income yielded by timber undergoing such forest management and distribution processes is too low to permit forest owners to carry out sufficient forest cultivation. To effectively utilize the wood, a subsidy system that takes a long-term view and a timber market that puts an appropriate price on wood are needed. We argue that it is important to bolster the management position of the Japanese Forest Owners' Associations for design an institutional scheme that enables to practice forestry management from a long-term perspective.

Bio-coke (BIC) is drawing attention as a coalcoke substitute in industry. Though BIC can be used as a carbon-neutral fuel, its overall benefits, including the environmental impacts associated with its production processes and its merits as an alternative fuel, remain unknown. In this study, we investigate the overall impacts and benefits related to BIC production processes and alternative fuel applications by looking into the case of Takatsuki in Osaka Prefecture, the only commercial BIC plant in Japan. Based on the system boundary set, we calculated CO 2 emissions per ton of BIC associated with its manufacturing and transportation processes to be 1.01 t CO 2 . CO 2 emission from electricity consumed in the process was found to be the largest, accounting for 74.7 % of total emission. The analyses also revealed that using one ton of BIC as alternative fuel in industry instead of coalcoke could result in avoiding 2.16 tons of CO 2 emissions, showing a clear environmental benefit. While BIC's calorific value is almost same as pellet's, BIC had higher gross margin and energy density than pellet produced in the same facility. These findings enhance the merits of producing BIC from wood biomass and could lead the way to revitalizing forestry in Japan.

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Unfortunately, some errors were found in the original publication of the paper. The changes are made in few sentences and Table 5 of the article. These changes do not affect the conclusions of the paper.