Current Status and Challenges for Forest Commons (Iriai Forest) Management in Japan: A Focus on Forest Producers’ Cooperatives and Authorized Neighborhood Associations

Abstract

Iriai forests are an example of communal forest management in Japan. Local institutions have never been static in governing iriai forests and the external environments of iriai forests have changed significantly over time. This study examines the management challenges of forest producers’ cooperatives (FPCs) and authorized neighborhood associations (ANAs) as the two most important contemporary forms of iriai forest management. Data from nine FPCs and three ANAs in the Fukuoka and Saga prefectures of Kyushu Island are used. Surveyed topics included basic information about FPCs and ANAs, recent management activities, financial conditions, and member perceptions of forest management. Some FPCs suffered from disadvantageous forestry circumstances, including low timber prices, decreased number of members, and tax burdens; at the same time, some FPCs greatly profited from non-forestry income or assets, e.g., by leasing or selling forestland. In most cases, basic forest management operations had been conducted by both FPCs and ANAs, and members had maintained attachment to and responsibility for iriai forests and a sense of public contribution. Policy recommendations include making legal settings and administrative supports more compatible with contemporary realities, providing greater financial support for management activities, and pursuing multi-level governance to open the commons to wider society.

Post-Restoration Forest Management Issues in East Asia under Climate Change: Based on the Special Issue “Economic and Societal Losses Due to Environmental Impacts on Forestry Productivity”

“…A previous study [17] revealed that as the generation involved in afforestation ages and retires, management succession fails, forest management and boundaries become unclear, and the level of forest management declines, particularly in micro-owned areas. Even in many forest producers' cooperatives and authorized neighborhood associations that were established by reorganizing the remaining historical forest commons (Iriai Forest), management is becoming increasingly difficult owing to low timber prices, a decreased number of members, and tax burdens [18]. Ota also emphasized that the members had maintained an attachment to and responsibility for the forests of Iriai origin and a sense of public contribution.…”