LINE 318 "Hikari no Mori (Bright Forest)" Forest Protection Activity Midori Ippai Project Activities

On November 30, 2018 (Friday), NTT West Mie Group held the 12th "Hikari no Mori (Bright Forest)" forest protection activity (second round of activity for this fiscal year).

"Hikari no Mori" is a public (city-owned) forest that is located at the foot of Aoyama Highland in the Muro-Akame-Aoyama Quasi-National Park. Mie Group has been carrying out forest development and protection activities such as tree-thinning ever since it signed a five-year plan with Mie Prefecture in 2011 to maintain this forest. Activities continue to be held now after the decision in 2016 to carry on with the same initiative for the next five years.

Harsh coldness was expected on the day of the event, but it turned out to be a warm and windless day that was perfect for outdoor activities.

A total of 31 participants, including employees and retirees of Mie Group, took part in the thinning work in the chilly forest where sunlight was blocked out. This was followed by a hands-on woodworking class.

Participants were divided into groups of seven to eight, who entered the Japanese cypress forest and engaged in tree thinning with staff from the Tsu City Forestry Promotion Office present and under the guidance of members of the Chusei Forest Owners' Cooperative.

Members of the forest owners' cooperative started by demonstrating how thinning is performed, but the task was a challenging one as some trees that were caught between other trees did not fall down completely. Participants then worked together to pull down the trees by cutting a slit using a saw and tying a rope around each of them.

There were many female participants in this round of the activity, and the presence of the male participants was reassuring for work from slit cutting to felling.

Japanese cypress trees that were cut down during the thinning activities were then sliced into thin pieces using a chainsaw by members of the Forest Owners' Cooperative for participants to bring home as a souvenir for use as coasters or in baths.

At the woodworking class, members of the forest owners' cooperative taught the participants how to make chairs, boxes and chopsticks from the wood materials provided. Some of the participants were extremely skillful and the instructors were amazed at the quality of their finished works.

Despite the need to prepare for the cold weather unlike the previous round of activity, many participants took part in the event, which ended smoothly with no injury.

NTT West Mie Group will continue to engage actively in forest protection activities while working together with the local communities.

Organizing company

NTT West Mie Branch

Venue

Mie Prefecture, Tsu City, Hakusan-cho, Aza Kitanunobiki 28-58
NTT West Mie Branch "Hikari no Mori"

No. of participants

31