for general vehicles, the “forestry exclusive road” for trucks with ten ton loads, and the “forestry operation road” for forestry machines. The Forestry Agency is also promoting the development and improvement of advanced forestry machineries, including processors, harvesters, and forwarders.

The “Forest Owners Cooperatives”, cooperative organizations of forest owners, play a vital role in local forest management, sometimes as contractors of forestry practices. In order to secure a “level playing field” between the Cooperatives and private contractors, the Forestry Agency encourages the Cooperatives to concentrate on providing services to their members and improving the transparency of their management information. The Forestry Agency is also requesting each prefecture to provide forest owners' information to contractors and to develop an information sharing system that tracks the performance of each contractor.

##### 1.2.4. Human Resource Development

In order to secure young forestry workers, the Forestry Agency has been implementing the “Green Employment Program” since FY2003, to teach introductory skills and knowledge of forestry to new forestry workers. In 2011, the Forestry Agency introduced a step-by-step promotion system to help new forest workers progress from “forest workers” (members of workers group) to “forest managers” (leaders of a workers group) or “forest leaders” (leaders of more than two groups)

Since FY2007, the Forestry Agency has been training “Forest Management Planners” who promote the coordination and consolidation of forest management activities among groups of small forest owners. The Planners are expected to play a central role in the development of the new “Collective Forest Management Plan.”

As the role of municipalities in forest and forestry policy becomes more important, the Forestry Agency intends to train technical experts who can support local governments and local forest management by working as “Foresters.” The certification of the Foresters will start in FY 2013. Before being certified, the “Apprentice Foresters” who have completed the required training courses will be allowed to temporarily support local governments in the development of the Municipality Forest Plans. The Forestry Agency is also training technical experts in the planning and construction of forest roads.

##### 1.2.5. Development of Wood Processing/Distribution System and Wood Use Expansion

Japan’s forestry and wood products industry has been slow to develop a reliable distribution system for low cost wood products with assured quality and performance, due to the small-scale, dispersed, and multi-layered system of log harvesting, distribution, and wood processing.

The Forestry Agency has supported model projects for the reform of the forestry and wood products industry: the "New Wood Products Distribution and Processing Projects" for the laminated lumber and plywood sectors since FY2004, and the "New Wood Production Projects" for the lumber production sector since FY2006. The Forestry Agency has also been supporting local projects for the stable supply and efficient processing/distribution of domestic wood through the "Fund for the Acceleration of Forest Management and Forestry Revitalization" since FY2009.

The Forestry Agency is also promoting increased wood use in wooden public buildings, energy produced from woody biomass, wood exports, and promotional activities to the general public.