The forest in Nagano prefecture covers an area of about 1.06 million hectares (ha), approximately 78% of the total area of the prefecture. Privately owned forest accounts for 680 thousand ha, 64 % of the total forest in Nagano. Of the privately owned forest, 330 thousand ha are artificial forests, such as Sugi (Japanese cedar) and Karamatsu (Japanese larch) and they account for 48 % of the privately owned forest. These forests need artificial treatment, like thinning (the selective removal of trees). Sugi and Karamatsu forests that are over 31 years old account for 170 thousand ha, 53 % of the artificial forests. These forests need forest management by thinning, extraction and use of tinned lumber.
Under these circumstances, we believe that building a sustainable society is impossible unless we change and adopt new measures of how we use our forests. For this reason, we at GREEN LAB took the first step by launching a new industry to recreate our culture (lifestyle) and maintain it in a mountain village in the forests of Nagano. An outline of our activity is described in the pages that follow.
Wood core production and creation of common link of “Core Connection (Core Tunagari)” = friendship
If every manufacturing company of snow board and skis produces at least one item on their production line using local lumber in Japan, consumption of domestic wood will increase.
We propose “Core Connection (coexistence with nature)” to many snow boarders to make a contribution to nature.
We are promoting another business: production and installation of park items made from local lumber, such as installation of wooden playground equipment in skiing ground.
“Wood park for kids and adults” using local wood like Karamatsu, etc. in Sugadaira Davos Ski area will open this season.
Outdoor sport activity including snow boarding and skiing for elementary, junior and high school students has an environmental educational side to it. We have abundant Karamatsu that needs to be cut for use and is good material for wood core. We can use the forests of Shinshu to create a locally grown environmental education program.
Our activity is not link with any governmental organization, NPO or large scale capitalistic company. Our lifestyle is quite simple: farming in a mountain valley and having the happiest time snowboarding in winter.
It costs a lot to make wood core sample and boards for testing. But we believe that a board made from local lumber is promising. Though we can not expand business due to limited funds, we strive to offer snow boards made from Shinshu lumber at lower prices than other manufactures and introduce snowboarding culture and environmental lifestyle from maker to user.