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The Mitsui & Co. Environment Fund

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Forest'n People Project Organization

The Home-Grown Trees for Creating Life Forests Movement

Activity grant

Project Description

Reducing the emission of greenhouse gases such as CO2 is essential for combating global warming, and an important measure for doing this is to create and maintain CO2 absorbing forests. This project looks to contribute to the prevention of global warming by continuing the work being done by the Forest'n People Project Organization's 'Home-Grown Trees for Creating Life Forests Movement'. This involves recruiting volunteers to plant about 20,000 trees over three years in two locations, the area around the ruins of the Ashio Copper Mine in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, and the area around the ruins of the Matsuo Mine in Hachimantai, Iwate Prefecture. Volunteers will be recruited through newspaper ads and the organization's website. Acorns collected from the project site areas will be used to cultivate saplings. In addition to combating global warming, it is hoped that the continuation of this movement will also provide additional effects, such as preventing soil erosion, mitigating flooding, and purifying water sources.

Fields
Climate changePreservation of surface soil and forestsPreservation of biodiversity and ecosystem
Grant year
FY2008 Activity Grants
Grant term
3 years
April 2009 - March 2012
Grant amount
14,400,000 yen
Activity region
Matsukisawa and Ususawa, Ashio, Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, and the Matsuo Mine ruins, Hachimantai, Iwate Prefecture, Japan
Planting at the ruins of the Ashio Copper Mine

Overview of the Organization

Shigetada Kishii, Director
Representative
Shigetada Kishii, Director
Establishment
2004
Establishment purpose
Forest'n People Project Organization was established by a group of people who are worried that people will be harmed by the abnormal climate events around the world and feel that the planet will become stranger if things continue as they are now. The members work together to gain insight and come up with measures to combat global warming, and currently it is advancing the creation of 'life forests' by bringing together the abilities of each individual to implement tree planting initiatives.
Main areas of activity
Tochigi Prefecture, Iwate Prefecture, Tokyo, Japan
Staff
3 full-time staff members, 25 part-time staff members, 300 full members
Annual operating budget
18.66 million yen in 2006, 22.03 million yen in 2007, 20.68 million yen in 2008
WEB site
http://www.moribito.info/
Recent activities
Acorns are used to grow saplings and home-grown trees are used for reforestation activities (tree planting and cultivation) throughout the year. These are the main activities, but the group also works to foster leaders to take on these tasks, and create venues and forums to enable a greater number of people to understand the importance and urgency of its activities. It also recruits volunteers to cultivate the trees needed for reforestation, and strives to deepen understanding by providing experience of actual reforestation efforts. Specific initiatives involve the following activities:
  • · Home-grown forest building in Ashio (planting, sapling cultivation)
  • · Home-grown forest building in Hachimantai (planting, sapling cultivation)
  • · Instructor cultivation (Forest People classes, Forest People Academy)
  • · Forest People nature classes for children and guardians
  • · Living with the Forest Campus Forum
  • · Real forest tours (tour of Kokoro-no-mori)
  • · Year-round planting, cultivation activities, and vegetation surveys