Clear-cutting

The felling and harvesting of all or most of the trees that make up a forest at one time. Because all the trees are felled at once, the techniques for felling and afforestation are relatively easy and reliable, and it is also economically viable at the time, so it is widely practiced in forestry, especially in the management of artificial forests. However, clear-cutting can have adverse effects, such as suddenly exposing the forest land and causing the fertile topsoil and humus to run off, reducing the productivity of the forest land, making the afforestation site vulnerable to weather disasters and pests, and destroying the ecosystem. The adverse effects are particularly severe when clear-cutting is carried out over a large area or repeated frequently in a short period of time. For this reason, it is necessary to consider limiting the area of ​​clear-cutting, extending the period for repeated clear-cutting, and adopting felling methods other than clear-cutting, depending on the conditions of the land.

[Kinji Hachiya]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

森林を構成する林木の全部または大部分を一時に伐採し収穫すること。一斉に伐採するので、伐採、造林の技術が比較的容易で確実であり、その時点での経済性も優れているため、林業とくに人工林の経営では広く行われている。しかし皆伐すると、林地が一時に露出して肥沃(ひよく)な表土や腐植が流出し、林地の生産力を害したり、跡地の造林地が気象災害や病虫害を受ける、生態系を破壊するといった弊害がおきやすい。とくに皆伐を大面積に行ったり短期間に頻繁に繰り返したりすると、その弊害も著しい。そのため、土地の条件に応じて皆伐面積の制限、皆伐繰り返し期間の延長、皆伐以外の伐採方法の採用などを考慮する必要がある。

［蜂屋欣二］

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