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Kaname Forest ("Mitsui's Forest"), located in Oguni Town, Nishiokitama District, Yamagata Prefecture, one of Mitsui & Co., Ltd.'s (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO: Kenichi Hori, hereinafter referred to as "Mitsui") company-owned forests across Japan, has been certified as a "Nationally Certified Sustainably Managed Natural Site" for the second half of fiscal year 2024.
The government certifies "Nationally Certified Sustainably Managed Natural Site" as areas where biodiversity conservation is being promoted through private initiatives, etc., excluding protected areas such as national parks. The certified areas are registered in the international database as OECMs (Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures), excluding areas that overlap with existing protected areas, and contribute to the achievement of the 30by30 target (a global target to conserve at least 30% of land and sea as healthy ecosystems by 2030 in an effective manner).
This forest, which we have owned since 2005, is located near the Asahi mountain range in Bandai-Asahi National Park. It is a broadleaf forest of mainly beech trees that occupies about 90% of the area of Oguni Town and fosters two water systems, the Arasawa and Kurosawa, in the forest. The beech forests are also called "white forests" in Oguni Town because of the whiteness of their bark.
Approximately 99% of the area of this mountain forest is natural forest, mainly beech forests that are close to primeval forests. The rarity of these forests and the biodiversity value of the native plant and animal species, including large mammals such as black bears and Japanese serows, were the reasons for its certification as a Nationally Certified Sustainably Managed Natural Site. In the remaining approximately 1% of the planted forest, we aim to encourage the growth of broadleaf trees, and in the future, the entire area will be designated as natural forest.
This is the second Mitsui's Forest to be certified as a "Nationally Certified Sustainably Managed Natural Site," following the Mitsui's Forest/Kiyotaki Forest in fiscal 2023.
Mitsui will contribute to the achievement of the 30by30 goal, a national strategy, through the registration of the Nationally Certified Sustainably Managed Natural Site as an OECM in the international database. These environmental conservation efforts and are a part of the functions that can be achieved based on sustainable forest management in Mitsui's Forests, and we will continue to maintain and enhance the functions of the forests through sound forest management with the aim of realizing a sustainable society.