4 FORESTRY OF JAPAN. 



CHAPTER II. 



FORESTS. THEIR AREA AND 

 OWNERSHIP. 



The area of forests, including Genya* in Japan occupies a 

 greater part of the country and according to the statistics 

 taken by the Government at the end of 1908, it covers an 

 extent of 30,616,602 cho. 



When these figures are compared with 29,519.46 square 

 ri or45 ,908,664 cho which consititue the total area of the 

 country, the ratio stands at about 6j%. 



The forests of Japan are divided into two classes of 

 "utilization forests" and "protection forests" according to the 

 object of their utility. The object of the protection forests is 

 to preserve the safety of the land and further the welfare of 

 society by placing a limitation upon the felling of trees. The 

 area of protection forests at the end of 1907 was over 925,641 

 cho. Apart from these forests, there arc utilization forests 

 where works may be freely undertaken with the view to the 

 utilization of the material. The area covered by this latter 

 class of forests amounts to over 29,690,961 cho. These forests 

 owing to a difference in their ownership present differences in 

 the management and works. The State forest and the 

 Imperial forest arc being improved under the up-to-date 

 methods introducing new features for the renovation of the 

 forests and the extention of the utilization but the forests 

 owned by the people, with the exception of a small part, are 

 given up to temporary make shifts, no special arrangements 



