Rate of Forest Land

As defined by the Forestry Agency, the rate of forest land of each prefecture is calculated by dividing the Area of Forest Land of each prefecture by its Area. The average rate of forest land in Japan is 67%, one of the top ranked in the world.

"Japan is one of the most heavily forested countries in the world
The area of forest land covering land area is referred to as the rate of forest land. According to data announced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the rate of forest land in Japan is 68.2% (*). In other words, approximately 70 percent of the land is forest land. Among developed countries, Japan's rate of forest land is second to Finland, and Japan can be said to be one of the most heavily forested countries in the world. For reference, the world's average rate of forest land is approximately 30%.

Japan is often said to be a country lacking resource, but its forest resources are not necessarily scarce, but is actually not being used."

Kochi is ranked first with respect to the rate of forest land by prefecture. It does not have a strong impression as a forested prefecture, but there is an explanation that,

"Kochi, with 84% of its land as forest land, is the most heavily forested prefecture in Japan. However, because 66% of such forest land is planted forest comprised of trees such as cedar and cypress, the area of natural forest is not that large. However, various types of plants and forests can be found in Kochi depending on altitude, from subtropical species such as banyan and Chinese fan palms to subarctic species such as Veitch's silver fir and Erman's birch." ("Boken! Hakken! Kuroshio no Tabi")

The rate of artificial forest land in Kochi is 65%, which is high compared to other prefectures. The government of Kochi also seems to be promoting its high rate of forest land, such as by building the project:

"Brand '84%' Area of Forest Land
The '84 Conference' which will start the '84 (Hachi-yon) Project' aiming to brand the prefecture's '84%' area forest land, the greatest in Japan, will convene on August 4 at Kochi Prefectural Makino Botanical Garden in Godaisan, Kochi. The designer Mr. Makoto Umehara (59) =Tosayamada-cho, Kami-shi= who is an advocate for the project, and other people supporting the project will hold discussions and provide specific proposals and will design the prefecture's future."

Other prefectures such as Gifu, Nagano and Yamanashi in the mountainous area of central Honshu, are also ranked high. On the other hand, the rate of forest land is low in urban areas as expected and is also low in northern Kanto and Saga, with large areas of flat land.

In view of the Rate of Artificial Forest Land, the rate of forest land is high in prefectures on the Pacific Ocean costline as a result of afforestation which has continued from the Edo Period. In other areas, there were many natural forests from the first place.