LINE 200 Participation in the Ishikawa Forestation Project

NTT West Hokuriku Group took part in the "Ishikawa Forestation Project" that was held on two Saturdays on October 26 and November 5. This activity was hosted by Ishikawa Forestation Promotion Association.

There were concerns whether the typhoons that hit after the previous activity had affected the growth of the satoyama (village forest), but no major damage was found and autumn has already arrived at the site of the activity. Under the pleasant weather, a total of 120 participants from companies as well as local volunteers took part in the project. They were divided into groups to carry out the activities under the guidance of the instructors at two locations.

Activities included planting of the Konara oak plants as with the past activities, and also limbing of their branches and weeding of undergrowth. In addition, liverleaf (wildflower) and Japanese staunton vine (creeper) were planted while participants had a hands-on experience on the inoculation of logs for nameko mushrooms and their harvesting.
Wood collected from thinning of the cherry tree forest at the activity site were utilized as the logs, and the nameko mushroom spawn was introduced into the log using a wooden hammer. It is hoped that large quantities of nameko will be produced by autumn in two years' time.

Participants gathered the nameko mushrooms that grew densely on the logs inoculated three years ago, and enjoyed the delicious mettajiru (miso soup with pork and vegetables) made from the freshly-harvested nameko at the end of the activity.

After the activity, many encouraging comments were received from the participants, such as
"Everything was a new experience to me and it was really enjoyable,"
"I took part in this activity because I wanted to have a hands-on feel of the nameko mushroom inoculation process. It was very enjoyable,
"Areas densely covered with grass and in a poor condition were cleared up, thanks to the support of everyone, and I'm glad to see the planted trees looking vibrant again,"
"I'm excited that the trees that we have planted are gradually growing."

Although the Ishikawa Forestation Project involves a lot of hard work such as limbing and grass-cutting, the participants were able to learn about forest cultivation and the utilization of resources through these activities.

We believe we will see the fruits of our efforts in a few years' time with the satoyama (village forest) becoming more abundant.
We look forward to another large turnout from the employees and their family members at the next round of activities.

Participating companies

NTT West Hokuriku Regional Headquarters
NTT Fieldtechno Hokuriku Branch
NTT Marketing Act Hokuriku Branch
NTT Business Associe West Hokuriku Branch

Venue

Yuhidera Temple (Kanazawa City)
Hiuchidani (Shikamachi)

No. of participants

18