Project News

F-REDD implemented the training in Japan with the theme of "Multiple Use of Forest", as scheduled every year for the purpose of strengthening the capacity of government officials in Lao PDR. Each three officials from the Department of Forestry and the Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Office in Luang Prabang participated in the course.

The trainees had lectures provided by the Forestry Agency of Japan and the FAIRWOOD PARTNERS*1 regarding the Clean Wood Act in Japan which was put into force for the purpose of promotion of utilization and distribution of legally logged woods, and learnt the importance of management on legal wood exportation as well as crackdown on illegal logging which has been strengthened since last year in Lao PDR.

The lecture regarding various spatial use of forest in the Forestry Agency of Japan was followed by the related site visits. The trainees visited Takao Forest Fureai (rapport) Promotion Center and Mt. Takao where the forest education for children and students and the forest management involving regional volunteers are implemented. They were very interested in how to involve locals for forest management which is the very important issue in Lao PDR. The trainees also observed the forest therapy in Yame City, Fukuoka prefecture which is promoted and run by the City. The both achievements of forest utilization and the city revenue are good leaning for them. They also visited the NPO Sanson-juku in the same city, which is working on rural development involving volunteers from overseas and urban residence, and had a look on the example of the forest management promoted by the citizen.

A good example was seen at Morotsuka village where public administration is supporting individual families and local companies for promotion of forestry industry. The village office leads to obtain the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, provide financial and institutional support for the wood processing plants and create new marketing channels of those wooden products. In contrast, the Miyazaki Southern Forestry Office showed the Profit Shearing Forestry*2 continuing in the national forests which is descended from the Obi Forestry*3 in the Edo period. The operation system brings merits of both the administrative revenues and the interest of local residents. Comparing good examples in Japan seemed to stimulate the trainees even though they have different systems or structures.

Although this training incorporated a wide range of fields based on the theme, the coordination between public administrative and local residents is the key for appropriate forest management in general. This course seems to be very useful in terms that it let the trainees to think what kinds of system or relationship to be adopted for forest management and conservation in Lao PDR. In particular, trainees made favorable comments that they learnt a lot from the well-organized system on forest management in Japan.

*1 FAIRWOODPARTNERS: programs or activities jointly conducted by FoE Japan and the Earth and Human Environment Forum for the purpose of preventing illegal logging in developing countries and promoting the use of legal timber in wood importing countries including Japan.

*2 Obi Forestry: forestry land and operation method formed by the silvicultural policy of the Obi domain in the Edo period. The logging profit was allocated to both the domain and the people engaged.

*3 Profit Shearing Forestry: an forestry operation that plantation is jointly conducted by land owners and engaged workers and then logging profit is allocated to both parties at a predetermined ratio.

Takao Forest Fureai (rapport) Promotion Center implements forest conservation and management in Mt. Takao in collaboration with local people.

A patchwork forest that is trying to convert plantation forest to wild forest by planting hardwoods species (NPO Sanson-juku).

Exchange of views was held in the showroom made by wood products in Morotsuka Village.