Shiokawa (far right) and other members of Shikinokai in front of the organization’s single-story office

Shikinokai was founded in 2006 by Shiokawa and other classmates from the fourth term of Heiseinoyama Gakko (a Kagoshima Prefecture forestry volunteer training program), including竹内幸雄事務局長　executive secretary Yukio Takeuchi and Yuko Beppu. Granted official nonprofit status in 2008, Shikinokai engages in various environmental improvements, including clearing undergrowth, thinning woods, and planting trees in forests and on other land that has reverted to wild conditions. The organization also provides environmental education by providing prefecture residents and children, the stewards of future generations, with opportunities to experience the woods and various forestry tasks.

The core of these activities is a project to improve the grounds where the ruins of Kenshojo Castle lie. Current efforts involve cutting down overgrown kudzu vines and bamboo and thinning broad-leafed trees, such as camphor trees, with chainsaws. The organization uses a piece of forestry equipment known as a forwarder, purchased with a funding assistance from the Nippon Foundation, to transport felled trees. After thinning, the forest is further improved by planting Japanese cedar and Japanese cypress. The forest also features paths for strolling through the woods. Handmade birdhouses for wild birds have been installed with oversight from the Wild Bird Society of Japan.

Loading thinned timber onto a forwarder in the woods

Overgrown bamboo is also cut to help clear the forest floor

Timber harvested from this forest is sold to a nearby forestry association. Plans call for distributing the bamboo chips gathered as part of this effort for use as fertilizer in flowerbeds at local schools. Shikinokai members also use the timber to make various craft objects. Currently, most tasks are being handled by three individuals, including Kikuo Kawasue, aged 62. After working at a job involving semiconductors at a major manufacturer in the city of Kawasaki, Kawasue took early retirement to return to his home prefecture of Kagoshima. “I came back because I wanted to take part in activities like this,” he says. Improvement efforts at the site also include planting cherry trees. Plans call for transforming the grounds not just into a well-known site for viewing cherry blossoms, but into a woodland park that welcomes numerous visitors.

Takeuchi’s specialty is handicrafts

In addition to this project, Shikinokai helps thin undergrowth in the woods on land owned by the town of Aira and in Kankyonomori woods in the nearby city of Kagoshima. He also plans to hold a forest bus tour, with hands-on forestry. In December 2009, 50 people—well beyond the 40 anticipated—took part in a tour of a prefectural forest in the city of Kirishima. The 50 participants experienced various activities, including harvesting shiitake mushrooms. Shikinokai also holds monthly potluck meetings to discuss future plans while sipping sake. In addition to Shikinokai, those who show up at these meetings include individuals from town hall and from the forestry association, who take part in conversations about forest development.

“In the past, the river was clean and full of fish,” says Shiokawa, expanding on some of the latest ideas. “We want to show children nature’s true outlines, which they haven’t seen yet, with projects that link mountains, rivers, and the sea. We’re also considering ecotours to provide opportunities to stay on farms and give participants first-hand experience with local industries.