Comprehensive Efforts to Restore Forests and Forestry in Fukushima
In addition to decontamination, comprehensive efforts for regenerating the forestry industry and ensuring safe and secure lives of the residents are indispensable for the regeneration of forests and forestry in Fukushima Prefecture. Based on the guideline, “Comprehensive Efforts to Restore Forests and Forestry in Fukushima,” which was compiled by the Reconstruction Agency, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and the Ministry of the Environment in March 2016, relevant ministries and agencies have been carrying out measures comprehensively for those purpose, while obtaining the understanding of the people in Fukushima. The Reconstruction Agency, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and the Ministry of the Environment jointly conducted the Satoyama Restoration Model Project in 14 municipalities (Kawamata Town, Hirono Town, Kawauchi Village, Katsurao Village, Soma City, Nihonmatsu City, Date City, Tomioka Town, Namie Town, Iitate Village, Tamura City, Minamisoma City, Naraha Town, and Okuma Town) based on the guideline, and the outcome was compiled and published in November 2020. Since FY2020, efforts for restoring Satoyama forests have been continued as the “Satoyama Restoration Projects” by expanding the coverage to 48 municipalities.
According to the knowledge obtained at the investigative committee on remediation established in the Ministry of the Environment, it is found that removal of sedimentary organic materials at locations 20m or further from the border of the forest adjacent to houses and farmland, etc. has little effect in reducing air dose rates at the forest border. Also, broad removal of sedimentary organic materials in forests may even make things worse, in ways such as increasing bad effects on trees due to causing erosion of dirt, etc. containing radioactive cesium or impoverishing the soil. Accordingly, under the basic policy to prioritize areas especially necessary from the perspective of protecting human health, decontamination of forests has been conducted within approx. 20m from the borders of the forests adjacent to houses or farmland, etc., in principle.
- Included in this reference material on March 31, 2017
- Updated on March 31, 2022