Participation of city dwellers in the secondary forest management and conservation.

Abstract

The recreational uses of forests with various types of growth and understory and the various forms of management which are required by such woodlands are discussed. In 1988/89 volunteer city dwellers in Japan took part in canopy thinning, removal of all undergrowth and selective weeding to remove all undergrowth except that of wild rhododendron. In spite of poor weather conditions the number of volunteers exceeded expectations and included a proportion of people older than the expected age range. The average area for removal of all undergrowth was 31.5 m 2 /person in 3 hours, while for selective removal the rate was 21.6 m 2 /person due to the need to identify rhododendron. Although thinning involved the hardest labour, the majority of volunteers found this the most satisfying task. Most participants were sufficiently absorbed in their task to forget the passage of time.