Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute

Tama Forest Science Garden

OutlinePreservation and utilization of cherry tree strains

Management and utilization of suburban forest

Overview of the Garden
The Tama Forest Science Garden was started in February 1921 as a Forestry Experiment Station by the Imperial Forestry Bureauof the Imperial Household Ministry.
Today, it is a branch of the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute and an organ for experimentation and researchpertaining to forests, forestry, and the wood industry. It develops management and utilization techniques for exploiting themultifaceted capabilities possessed by suburban forests, as well as research on preservation of flora and fauna biodiversity,
elucidation of ecosystem roles, and preservation and utilization of cherry tree lineages, among other activities. Also, the Garden
carries out appealing public activities to deepen the general public’s understanding of forests, forestry, and the wood industry.
In addition, it plays a major role in providing research materials and serving as a study site for the Arboretums, Experimental
Forest, Cherry Tree Preservation Forest, and other facilities inside it.

Cherry Tree Preservation Forest and Arboretums
In roughly 8-hectare, the Cherry Tree Preservation Forest, contains over 1,600
cherry trees gathered from locales all over Japan. These include cultivatedvarieties handed down from before the Edo Era and clones of cherry trees
designated as protected species.
The arboretums, roughly 7-hectare, are planted with 6,000 trees of 500 species,
including rarely seen species such as the Semper Sequoia and Yatsugatake spruce.
The majority of these species are composed of tall tree species used in forestry.
Open to the public all year round, the Cherry Tree Preservation Forest and theArboretums are enjoyed by many people, especially during the cherry blossoming
season.

Experimental Forest
Roughly 40-hectares, the Experimental Forest contains remains of natural forests.
Predominantly, it is filled with warm-temperate zone evergreen trees such as
Abies firma, Catanopsis cuspidata, and Quercus salicina, but also contains
deciduous trees of the cool-temperate zone, such as Kalopanax septemlobus andCerasus leveilleana. More than 600 species of plants grow naturally in this forest,
retaining a highly natural state for a Tokyo suburb forest.
When the Garden was initially founded, this forest was used as grounds forexperimental cultivation of domestic and foreign species used in forestry, such as
Zelkova serrata and Pinus taeda. Today, however, it consists primarily of naturalforest and is utilized as a site for investigation and conservation of wild flora andfauna.

Renkoji and Akanuma Experimental Forests
Located in the Tama municipality of the Tokyo metropolitan area, the Renkoji Experimental Forest (about 5 ha) offers an arena
for conducting surveys of biota and a variety of other forest studies, such as research on the capabilities of suburban forest andforest learning visits by local elementary school students and others.
The Akanuma Experimental Forest (about 7 ha) is located in Hatoyama-machi, Saitama Prefecture. It carries out numerous
activities including walnut grafting experiments, insect fauna surveys, synchronous flowering of moso bamboo, development offorest environment educational programs with nearby high schools, and surveys on atmospheric nitrogen, thermalenvironments, quantities of sunlight and moisture in suburban forest.

Overview of Research
Team Leader (Environmental Education
Capability Assessment)
Although we may live in the city, our lives take shape under direct andindirect influences from the forest. My team investigates the habitatsof the insects that live in suburban forest, and through that, carries out
research for developing biodiversity preservation and methods foreliminating harm to insects. In addition, it develops programs forcommunicating the fruits of that research to the general public andstudents in readily, understandable ways.

Team Leader (Urban Natural History)
Forests adjacent to cities, while impacted by human activity, havepreserved unique biota that is different from those of the inner
mountain forests. In order to elucidate the potential for biota
conservation that the remaining urban area forests possess, my teamconducts continuous investigations on how the mammalian biota
inhabiting urban areas changes along with the environmental changes
in their habitats.

Narathura japonica (butterfly) larva, which eats theleaves of oak species. It attracts ants seeking thehoney that comes out of its back.

Meles meles (badger) -- a species typical of suburban
lowland and hill forests.

Educational Resources Research Group
Historically, the broad-leaved deciduous secondary forests ofsuburban areas were maintained and managed by what are called“satoyama-rin” (village woodlands), for firewood/charcoal production
and agricultural utilization. But since the shift in fuel sources, they
have lost their purpose, and their area has decreased. Those that havesurvived have been abandoned, thus in a state much different frombefore. We are continuing our research to understand the forest
distribution and biodiversity. We are also determining how biota varywith differences in management methods in order to preserve
suburban forests in sound conditions and to utilize their resources.

Many treasured plants are to be found insatoyama village woodland, which is managedwith traditional methods.

At the Tama Forest Science Garden, we conduct research for a policyof utilizing the fruits of our research in forest science for forest
environment education. We have established an environmental
education forest inside the Garden as a site for learning aboutbiodiversity preservation and other forest aspects of forests. We arealso conducting a wide variety of research that is necessary for schools
and other institutions to proceed with forest environment education
activities, particularly research for developing learning programs andteaching materials.

Tree learning tool set up inside the Garden:“Who am I ?”The Tama Forest Science Garden’s Cherry Tree Preservation Forest
contains the largest collection of cherry tree cultivated varieties inJapan and is an extremely precious genetic resource. Yet, thetraditional cultured varieties, some of which go as far back as the EdoEra, are thought to have been involved in identity mistakes of variouskinds. Therefore, we are making use of highly accurate DNA analysis
and morphological analysis to conduct identification and lineageanalysis so as to elucidate the actual state of these numerous
cultivated varieties. Further, we are making advances in research inorder to make practical uses of these varieties in the future.

A case of four varieties that have long been called bydifferent names but have been determined to haveidentical DNA.

History

1921, February Established as a Forestry Experimental Station of the Imperial Household Ministry’s Imperial
Forestry Bureau.
1940, January Renamed as the Imperial Forestry Bureau Tokyo Forestry Experiment Station.
1947, April
Transferred to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry under a unification of forest administration.
Renamed as the Asakawa Forestry Experimental Branch Station.
1957, JulyRenamed as the Asakawa Experimental Forest.
1988, October Renamed as the Tama Forest Science Garden of the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute.
2001, April
Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute becomes and Incorporated Administrative Agency.
2006, October Tama Experimental Plot renamed as the Renkoji Experimental Forest, and the Akanuma Experimental
Plot as the Akanuma Experimantal Forest.

Organization
Since April 1992, certain parts of the Garden have become open to thepublic. These public zones are the Forest Science Museum, the Cherry
Tree Preservation Forest, and the Arboretums.

Open to Public

Forest Science Museum
The Forest Science Museum exhibits the Forestry and Forest Products
Research Institute’s research to the public and additionally, plays therole of a base for transmission of scientific and technologicalinformation pertaining to forests, forestry and the wood industry.
Forest Lectures (10 held per year)
These lectures explain the Research Institute’s various research
programs in readily, understandable terms.

Forest Science Museum (study hall)

Learning Spotabout insects

Forest Classes (several held per year)
Participants observe nature while walking around inside the Garden.
Lectures and Learning Spots
Short lectures are available at any time at the Forest Science Museumand elsewhere in the Garden. Also provided are information signs atlocations such as the Learning Spots.

Learning Spotabout flying
squirrels