9:00 AM - 9:15 AM
[HCG19-01] Towards rural forest sustainability: An exploratory study on how forests are managed through the forest rental business
★Invited Papers
Keywords:forest-related service industry, forestry, rural village, recreation, franchise
The decline of the forestry industry and the aging of the population are threatening sustainability of rural villages. If this trend continues, nature and human activities in rural villages may disappear, leading to the desolation of their landscapes. Against this issue, the Forestry Agency of Japan is promoting new service industries utilizing forest space in various fields such as health, tourism, and education so that they can create and expand the population who have interests in rural villages. Besides this governmental attempt, a private company engaged in the timber industry in Higashi-Shirakawa Village, Gifu Prefecture, has launched a forest rental business named “forenta” in 2021. In this business, forests are divided into plots and rented for camping, bushcraft, and other uses on a yearly basis. Since the start of the business, the company has expanded its franchise operations to other regions of Japan such as Hokkaido, Shizuoka, Kyoto and Fukuoka. The forest types also vary from plantation forests to resort sites and orchards. Through this forest rental business, forest owners can earn a stable income while managing rental sites at a low cost, and users can enjoy using their forests in their own way. In this way, the forest rental business may bring about new ways to utilize and maintain forests. However, this is the first attempt at such a forest rental business, and it is unclear how it is operated. Since the number of franchisees is increasing, it is necessary to investigate how they operate and discuss the sustainability of their business.
This study employs in-depth interview surveys with the founder and franchisees of the forest rental businesses “forenta”. Specifically, we uncovered what intentions the founder and franchisees have for the business, what benefits and challenges they have found from the business, and what type of forests they are using. The outcome will provide suggestions for future management of forest in rural villages.
This study employs in-depth interview surveys with the founder and franchisees of the forest rental businesses “forenta”. Specifically, we uncovered what intentions the founder and franchisees have for the business, what benefits and challenges they have found from the business, and what type of forests they are using. The outcome will provide suggestions for future management of forest in rural villages.