We investigated the actualities of forest cut and the intention of forest management to the members of forest owners cooperatives by questionnaires. We received back 1,642 questionnaires.
Through these questionnaires, we found the following results:
The major reason of forest cut was "inducement by a forest owners cooperative "(43% of the total). On the other hand, "rise of timber price" was a motivation for only 5%. These results showed that the timber price was not the major factor in determination of the behaviors of forest cut by the forest owners, but rather the enlightenment and extension activities or the forest cut by the forest owners cooperatives played a more important role.
The conditions by which forest owners accepted the inducement of forest cut by the forest owners cooperatives were "appropriate timber price", reliance between forest owners and forest owners cooperatives" and "planting seedlings after harvesting".
In addition, we found that as the forest area owned by an individual became bigger, the shortage of forestry laborers became more serious, so that most forest owners expected a supply of forest laborers and the exploitation of forest products markets to forest owners cooperatives.
The stable log supply system should be established through more intensification of reliance between forest owners and forest owners cooperatives.
Key words: behaviors of forest cut, forest owners cooperative, inducement of forest cut, intensification of reliance.
Correspondence: Takaaki Komaki, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tohoku Research Center, 72 Nabeyashiki, shimo-kuriyagawa, Morioka, 020-01 Japan
Telefax: +81-196-416747
E-mail: komaki@ffpri-thk.affrc.go.jp