30 THE FOREST EESOUECES OF THE WORLD. 



There are no data for the annual growth or consumption. Figures 

 for the annual cut are extreme!}^ meager and unreliable. 



JAPAN. 



FOREST AREA. 



The total forest area of Japan, exclusive of Formosa and theKurile 

 Islands, is 57,718,410 acres, or 59 per cent of the total area. The 

 forests are more extensive in the northern part and are practically 

 confined to the slopes of the mountains which form the backbone of 

 the islands. The greater part of the forests belong to the State. The 

 following gives the distribution of forests according to ownership: 



Distribution of forests by ownership. '^"^ 



Area ia 

 acres. 



State forests. 



Crown forests 



Municipal forests 



Forests of shrines and temples . 

 Private forests 



Total 



32,813,300 



5, 229, 472 



4,286,885 



419,073 



14,969,680 



57, 718, 410 



The state and crown forests are carefully managed, but the private 

 forests are not in such a high state of perfection. In proportion to 

 population, the forest area is quite different in the various provinces; 

 thus in Hokkaido it is 9 acres per capita; in Aomori and Akita, 3| 

 acres; in Kochi, 1 acre; in Hiroshima and Kagoshima, three-fourths 

 of an acre; and in Kumamoto only one-half acre. The northern 

 provinces are still rich in virgin forests. 



COMPOSITION 



The forests are divided into four zones : Tropical, subtropical, tem- 

 perate, and frigid. 



1. The tropical forest zone extends over the whole of Formosa, 

 the southern half of the Loochoo Islands, the Yayemaya, and the 

 Ogasav/ara Islands. The banyan, sieb, and bamboo are the prin- 

 cipal growth. 



2. The subtropical forest zone comprises a portion of the Loochoo 

 Islands, the whole of Shikoku and Kyushu, and the part of the main 

 island lying south of 36°. 



3. The temperate forest zone extends from the northern half of 

 the main island to the southern part of Hokkaido, between 36° 

 and 43° 5', where the mean annual temperature ranges from 6° to 

 13° C. . 



4. The frigid forest zone occupies those parts of the northern half 

 of Hokkaido and the Kuriles, where the average temperature does 

 not exceed 6° C. 



On the whole, the composition of the forests is somewhat as follows : 

 Conifers, 21 per cent; broadleaf forests, 25 per cent; conifers and 



broadleaf forests, 45 per cent; and sparsely stocked forests, 9 per 



cent. 



