Regeneration of Forests and Forestry

Comprehensive summary

The impacts of radioactive substances are still under various ongoing investigations, including monitoring by national and prefectural governments and the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute.

The Forestry Agency edited and published this booklet as a comprehensive summary of the current status of radioactive substances in forests, and of the impact of such substances on timber, mushrooms, and other forest products.

• The Current State of Radioactive Substances and the Regeneration of Forests and Forestry, 2018 edition(PDF : 16,546KB)
  
  [Divided Version]
  Cover(PDF : 439KB),Contents(PDF : 934KB),Page2(PDF : 1,003KB),Page3(PDF : 955KB),
  Page4(PDF : 1,845KB),Page5(PDF : 718KB),Page6(PDF : 769KB),Page7(PDF : 919KB),
  Page8(PDF : 910KB),Page9(PDF : 773KB),Page10(PDF : 1,335KB),Page11(PDF : 586KB),
  Page12(PDF : 767KB),Page13(PDF : 786KB),Page14(PDF : 652KB),Page15(PDF : 850KB),
  Page16(PDF : 850KB),Page17(PDF : 400KB),Page18(PDF : 650KB),Page19(PDF : 789KB)
  

Surveys on Radioactive Cesium Distribution in Forests   

Survey 1

[Background]

In 2011, the Forestry Agency set monitoring sites in three municipalities (Kawauchi Village, Otama Village, and Tadami Town) in Fukushima Prefecture in order to clarify the distribution of radioactive cesium within forests. Since then, the Agency has investigated the concentrations and accumulated quantities of radioactive cesium in soil, fallen leaves, and sections of trees such as leaves and trunks, and published the results.

• Result of FY2020 Survey on Radioactive Cesium Distribution in Forests(PDF : 1,816KB)
• Result of FY2019 Survey on Radioactive Cesium Distribution in Forests(PDF : 841KB)

Survey 2

[Background]

The past studies on radioactive cesium suggest the total quantities of radioactive cesium accumulated in forests have not changed more than its physical decay, and the amount of release via mountain steam water is infinitesimal. As the majority of radioactive cesium settled in a forest ecosystem remains in the ecosystem, investigation of its dynamics needs to be continuously conducted from a long-term viewpoint. Considering entry into areas with extremely high air dose rates is still restricted, in 2017, the Forestry Agency started surveys to understand the dynamics of radioactive cesium in forests in difficult-to-return and adjacent areas.

• Results of FY2020 Survey on Radioactive Cesium in Forests in Difficult-to-Return and Adjacent Areas(PDF : 748KB)
• Results of FY2019 Survey on Radioactive Cesium in Forests in Difficult-to-Return and Adjacent Areas(PDF : 905KB)

Survey 3

[Background]

For the concern over re-spreading of fallout radioactive cesium into forests due to cedar pollen scattering, in 2011, the Forestry Agency started a survey to estimate the radioactive cesium concentrations in cedar pollen from male flowers. As a result of past surveys, the radioactive cesium concentrations in male flowers of cedar have shown a general trend of decreasing each year, but they tend to be high when air dose rates are high.

• Results of FY2020 Survey on Concentrations of Radioactive Cesium Contained in Male Flower of Cedar(PDF : 214KB)
  (Reference 1)Result of FY2020 Survey on Concentration of Radioactive Cesium Contained in Male Flower of Cedar(PDF : 101KB)
  (Reference 2)Estimation of Radiation Dose Human Body Receives Based on FY2020 Survey Results(PDF : 150KB)
  
• Results of FY2019 Survey on Concentrations of Radioactive Cesium Contained in Male Flower of Cedar(PDF : 229KB)
  (Reference 1)Result of FY2019 Survey on Concentration of Radioactive Cesium Contained in Male Flower of Cedar(PDF : 66KB)
  (Reference 2)Estimation of Radiation Dose Human Body Receives Based on 2019 Survey Results(PDF : 54KB)
  

Links

• Forestry Agency
• Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (External link)
• Fukushima Prefecture (External link)
• Ministry of the Environment -Environmental Remediation- (External link)