Harvesting, Timber Marketing, and Forest Roads
摘要
This chapter introduces the essential techniques and infrastructures for forest management practices at the University of Tokyo Hokkaido Forest (UTHF), focusing on harvesting, timber marketing, and forest roads. Timber harvesting at the UTHF relied on horses for log transportation until the late 1960s. From the 1960s onward, the UTHF transitioned to using winch and grapple skidders. In 2022, the UTHF further enhanced its timber production system by introducing a forwarder fitted with a grapple crane. Harvested trees at the UTHF are offered either as standing trees or as logs. High-quality hardwood logs command the highest market value and are auctioned at the regional fancy wood auction market. Monarch birch and castor aralia, which are particularly valuable, are primarily used as face veneers for interior woodwork. Forest road construction was actively pursued after the 1960s, resulting in a total road length of 947.1 km and a road density of 41.7 m/ha. Periodic maintenance of forest roads is crucial for the effective management of the UTHF. In August 2016, heavy rains associated with typhoons caused severe damage to these forest roads, and it took 3 years to complete the disaster recovery work.