Forests must be cultivated and managed over long periods of time, spanning multiple generations of people. The objective of research and education in Forest Environmental and Management Sciences is to maintain healthy forest resources over enormously long periods of time. Specifically, education and research cover topics such as conservation of the natural environment and land, elucidation of the functions of forests related to the prevention and mitigation of natural disasters, development of new technologies to measure forest resources, and forest management and policy that balances timber production and environmental conservation.

The Devastation of Forests Due to Increase in Torrential Rain (Left) and Their Restoration and Reforestation (Right) are Important Issues

Climate change on a global scale that emerged in the last century has caused a statistically significant increase in heavy rain in Kyushu and other regions, and landslides triggered by the heavy rain on stable forest slopes have become a common sight (left); therefore, maintaining the sustainability of forests and the forestry industry by mitigating forest resource damage and reforesting (such as hillside slope stabilizations on the right) are important issues not only in Japan but around the world.

Recent Disaster Caused by Debris Flows and Woody Debris Damage from Forest Slopes

Boulders and woody debris gather at the front of debris flows and sometimes destroy homes. Ideally, forests should be managed properly so there is no woody debris.

Log production enterprise operating cross prefectures

This photo shows an interview with a log production enterprise headquartered in the north part of Miyazaki Prefecture and operating in the southern part of Oita Prefecture. Thanks to the maturity of vast Japanese cedar (sugi) and cypress (hinoki) plantation resources as well as the implementation of forestry policy, Kyushu has become one of the main log production areas in Japan. With enterprises and timbers are moving back and forth across prefectural borders, we collect data on forestry business and timber distribution on the ground to explore policy issues

Tropical Rainforests in Southeast Asia

Tropical rainforests have many roles. For example, they play an important role in mitigating global warming, and they support the livelihoods of the people who live there by supplying firewood, charcoal, and timber. Utilizing a variety of methods such as forest surveys, interviews, and analysis of satellite images, we search for forest management methods that are in line with various forests’ roles.

The Structure of Wood

Xylem forms inside the trunk due to the activities of the vascular cambium. The xylem that has accumulated over years called wood and constitutes the trunk. Wood is composed mainly of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, so trees contribute to the continuous fixation of carbon.

The Mystery of Leaves

In plant cells, a variety of substances move between cytoplasm and various cellular organelles, such as chloroplasts, mitochondria, and peroxisomes. Changes in the amount and rate of moving substances have a significant impact on the photosynthetic efficiency and tree growth. Rapid advancements have been made in technology to measure and control the movement of such substances without damaging the leaves.

Interdisciplinary Science of the Formation of Tree Cell Walls

By leveraging genetic engineering, biosynthetic enzyme chemistry, and tissue science to shed light on the mechanisms of the formation of tree cell walls, which make up 90% of the biomass on Earth, and developing wood that is easy to use for bioethanol, raw materials for chemical products, paper, pulp, and other materials, we are striving to build a sustainable and renewable society with little carbon dioxide emissions.

Forests and DNA Research

This is a photo of a tropical rainforest in Southeast Asia (dipterocarp forest). It is rapidly disappearing, which is a serious problem for the environment. DNA research to protect the genetic resources of tropical regions and restore and renew tropical rainforests is being conducted on a global scale. (The photo below is of DNA nucleic acid sequence analysis.)

Searching Fast-Growing Broad-Leafed Japanese Trees Ideal for Interior Design

Fast-growing trees have a high carbon fixation capacity and contribute to the mitigation of global warming. And due to the short time from planting to harvest, they can be bred to produce high-quality timber for the next generation. The photo shows a prototype chair made with a previously unused Japanese fast-growing broad-leafed tree species that was chosen for its suitability for interior design. It has received high acclaim from the interior design industry.

Functionality of Mushrooms

The above are X-ray CT scan images of mice (abdomen) fed high-fat feed for 40 days. The black areas are body fat, the white areas are bone, and the gray are muscle and organs. The group on the left was fed high-fat food and the group on the right was fed high-fat food containing 5% mushrooms, showing that feeding them mushrooms reduces subcutaneous and visceral fat.

Exterior and Interior of Wooden Dome Made with Large Sectional Laminated Timber

Because wooden houses and structures store carbon dioxide and are made of wood—a material that has little impact on the environment—they are referred to as “secondary forests.” Therefore, making more of them and using them for a long time is just as valuable as afforestation.

Using Durable, Rot-resistant Wood

When using wood outdoors, it is important to carry out rot and insect prevention treatment to increase durability and enable the wood to remain beautiful for a long time. It also helps protect forest resources. The photos are of a durable, rot-resistant fence and outdoor play equipment, in which the wood has been injected with chemicals.

Elemental Analysis of the Surface of High-Performance Paper with X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

Of all biomaterials, the one we are most familiar with is paper. It is composed mainly of cellulose, the most well-known forest resource. We conduct research on systems that provide new functions such as durability and water repellency while keeping paper’s outstanding environmental compatibility (biodegradability), and on elucidating the mechanisms that express those functions (see photo). We are also working on developing new functional materials that can purify environmental pollutants by combining cellulose fiber and inorganic catalysts.

Honeycomb Film Made of Cellulose

Substances with a variety of patterns and functions (e.g., film and 3D fiber structures) are being designed and developed from cellulose, the main component of biomass. Identifying the correlation between these patterns and functions will open up further possibilities for material design.

Shedding Light on the Biofunctions of Mushrooms

Basidiomycota as a mushroom, is the most well-known and the most advanced eukaryote microorganisms possessing astonishing material conversion functions. In order to fully understand and utilize this ability, we are conducting uncompromising, exhaustive analyses, such as analyzing gene-expression networks, all proteins, and the mechanisms of action of key enzymes. Our hope is to develop new biomass conversion technology that applies this function, and use the technology to strengthen and design the function even further.