With the steady decline in wood prices, many regions face the issue of “throwaway thinning”, but Itoshima City announced a new project for the upcoming fiscal year to effectively incorporate cedar thinnings into the supply chain, increase the income of forest plantation owners and train the next generation of forest conservationists. Along with various initiatives, the project will add subsidies to the market price of thinned wood to encourage its commercial distribution. According to Itoshima, this is the first comprehensive plan by a Japanese municipality to tackle the “throwaway thinning” issue. Itoshima is home to about 6,000 hectares of planted forests, but only 40% are maintained with thinning and pruning. Between 2009 and 2011, thinnings were only transported out of 3.3% of planted forests due to low wood prices.
Under the new scheme, the city will add a subsidy of ¥3,000 to the current purchase price of ¥3,000 per ton, which will be paid in local currency. It will set aside 1.6 hectares of land for log storage and hire a supervisor for the project. Additionally, forestry cooperatives that purchase log transport machinery will be eligible for subsidies. The city hopes to “contribute to forest development using this project as a model case for the distribution of thinned wood.” Source: Nishinippon Shimbun, Feb. 25
