| Abstract |
森林を有効に活用しながら健全に維持していくことば森林経営に課せられた任務であり，それによって森林は，経済財として機能するだけでなく，環境財（公共財）としての機能をも発揮することになる．しかし，森林・林業をとりまく厳しい環境のもとでは，これを個別林家によって実現することは難しい．このような状況を克服するためには，地域内の林業及び木材の生産・流通・加工過程を一体的に組織した地域システムの形成が必要であ...り，その中核的な担い手として期待されているのが森林組合，とりわけ林産・販売事業である．そして，この地域システムの形成を中小林家の立場からみると，林産物の販売機会の増加であり，生産，流通コストの縮減による所得の向上という効果もある．森林組合の林産・販売事業の拡大は，地域における林業生産の拡大だけでなく，中小林家の森林経営にとっても大きな意味があると思われるのである．本報告では，森林組合員のアンケート調査によって，中小林家の経営活動が森林組合の木材取扱量（林産・販売事業量の合計）の大小と相関があること，したがって中小林家の活性化のためには森林組合の販売面での活動の活発化が必要であり，そのためには広域合併による森林組合の強化が必要であることを明らかにしている．その概要は次のとおりである．1）調査林家の山林保有面積は1～5haが34％でもっとも多いものの，5～10haの20％，10～20haの17％，20～50haの11％など5～50haで48％（九州平均6％）を占めており，中小林家の割合が著しく高い．森林はスギ人工林が多く，しかも大半の林家が間伐期の人工林を抱えている．2）林家の森林作業の実施状況は造林，下刈，枝打とも全般に活発であり，森林組合の木材取扱量・活動水準との相関も認められない．間伐は活動水準の高い組合ほど実施頻度が高い傾向がある．3）木材の販売は森林組合の活動水準ときわめて高い相関がある．すなわち，①主伐の実施率は木材取扱量2万m^3以上というもっとも活動水準の高い組合では28％であるが，3000m^3未満の低い類型では数％にすぎない．②最近5，6年間の間伐実施率は80～90％で組合による差は少ないが，間伐材の処分方法は，活動水準の低い組合では「切り捨て」や「自分の家で使った」が多いのに対して，高い組合では「販売した」の比率が高まっている．③賃金調達源としての森林の評価も，活動水準の高い組合では「まとまったお金がいるとき山林を伐採する」林家が過半を占めるが，低調なところでは20％程度にすぎない．また，④伐採する場合の販売先も活発な組合では「森林組合」が高い割合を占めるが，低調な組合では「分からない」が多い．4）活動水準の高い森林組合は中小林家の伐採性向の高い組合でもあるが，これらの組合の経営基盤は組合員経営森林面積1万ha以上，出資金4,000万円以上常勤役職員10人以上であり，収益面でも優れた実績を残している．しかし，多くの森林組合の組織，経営基盤は小規模であり，事業活動の拡大の大きな制約となっている．森林組合が活動水準を高め，中小林家の活性化に寄与するためには組織，経営基盤の拡大が必要であり，それには広域合併がもっとも現実的で，有効である．
Forest owners should maintain forests in good healthy conditions while utilizing their resources. Otherwise the forest cannot perform its economic and environmental role. However in the recent recession it has been impossible for individual forest households to fully realize the forest's full potential. It is therefore necessary to construct a local forestry sysytem which integrates local forestry, timber distribution and forest production processes. Forest owner's cooperatives are expected to be the organizers of local forestry system because they conduct various economic projects, including forest management, consulting, marketing, purchasing and financing. Marketing projects have the potential to open new timber markets for smaller forest households. The local forestry system enlarges timber markets for smaller forest households. It affects income by increasing the volume of timber handled and reducing the cost of timber production and distribution. It is thought that by increasing the volume handled by forest owners' cooperatives, not only the volume of local timber production would increase but activities of smaller forest households would be revitalized. In this paper, the relationships between the revitalization of smaller forest households and the activities of forest owners' cooperatives are analyzed by means of a questionnaire given to members of 21 forest owners' cooperatives in Kumamoto and Oita prefectures. From the results it is concluded that in order to revitalize forest management it is necessary to increase the dealing volume quantity of the marketing project, and to develop cooperatives through consolidation. (1) The greatest number of forest households properties were in the 1ha to 5ha category, representing 34 % of responding households, followed by 5ha to 10ha (20 %), 10ha to 20 ha (17 %), and 20ha to 50ha (11 %). The total of 5 ha to 50 ha represents 48 % of households, but only 6 % in Kyushu where holdings were larger than average. There is much more artifical forest than natural forest in most holdings, and most households have forest areas that require thinning. (2) Forest households actively plant, weed and prune, but households belonging to more active forest owners' cooperatives perform thinning more frequently. (3) There was a close relationship between timber sales of forest households and the activities of forest cooperatives. (i) 28 % of households belonging to the most active cooperatives with a dealing volume of more than 20,000 m^3 perform regeneration cutting. Under 3,000 m^3 it is only a few percent. (ii) 80 - 90 % of housel~olds performed thinning during the last 4 or 5 years. There were few differences between active cooperatives and less active once. However most forest households in the active group sold thinned logs at a high rate, whereas many in the less active group did not sell They only carried out felling or used the timber for private purposes. (iii) When money was needed, the majority of households in the active group would sell timber, compared with only 20 % of the less active group. (iv) The majority of the active group prefer to sell their timber to forest owners' cooperatives. Most of the less active group had no clear idea of markets for their timber. (4) Smaller forest households belonging to the cooperatives dealing with timber volume are very interested in timber production. These cooperatives have more than 10,000 ha owned by financial members, investments of more than 40 million yen, and more than ten full time officers and staff. Many other cooperatives have few staff and less forest property, both obstacles to the growth of their potential business. It is necessary to develop a management structure and the forest property owned by members in order to revitalize the activities of forest owners' cooperatives and smaller forest households. Therefore the consolidation of forest owners' cooperatives is the most realistic and steady method available to develop cooperatives.show more
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