A comparative study on inheritance of privately owned forest land and measures toward the sustainable management in the aging society declining birth rate

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Aging society declining birth rate in rural areas has been raising concerns as to whether the inheritance of privately owned forest lands will lead to a severe deterioration in forest management practices. This research reviewed existing legal systems as they pertain to forest ownership, and compared Japan's experiences to that of four European countries(France,Germany,Finland and Norway),before considering policy measures.It was observed that there had been various attempts to inhibit forest fragmentation in Japan and the European countries.Another Japan's feature was that present owners were increasingly likely to sell their properties in active forestry area.The study concluded by recommending focused measures that should be implemented to address this management issue. These measures include collecting information from forest owners,organizing the joint sale of logs,supporting locally tailored cross-boundary forest management bodies,and promoting settlement in rural areas.