Comprehensive Efforts toward Regeneration of Forests and Forestry in Fukushima
In addition to decontamination work, comprehensive efforts for regenerating forestry 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 toward Regeneration of Forests and Forestry in Fukushima," relevant ministries and agencies have been carrying out measures comprehensively in collaboration with the prefecture and municipalities, while obtaining the understanding of the people in Fukushima.
According to the knowledge obtained at the Environment Restoration Panel established in the Ministry of the Environment, it is found that removal of sedimentary organic materials at locations 20m or further from the edge of the forest has little effect in reducing ambient dose rates at the forest edge. Removal of sedimentary organic materials broadly 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 edges of the forests adjacent to houses or farmland, etc.
Additionally, it was determined to implement a model project to comprehensively facilitate efforts for restoring Satoyama forests including decontamination work. In September and December 2016, the Reconstruction Agency, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and the Ministry of the Environment jointly selected a total of 10 municipalities as model districts (Kawamata Town, Hirono Town, Kawauchi Village, Katsurao Village, Soma City, Nihonmatsu City, Date City, Tomioka Town, Namie Town and Iitate Village).
- Included in this reference material on March 31, 2017
- Updated on February 28, 2018