The Kansai Research Center conducts forest and forestry research for 14 prefectures, extending from the Kinki and Chugoku district, Fukui, Ishikawa. This area has been developed since older times when there was much forest land with the history. Therefore, deterioration of the satoyama* and other forest lands and the fragmentation of valuable regional forest ecosystems are occurring along with rapid urbanization and socioeconomic changes. In recent times, human beings are expected to maintain the natural environments of the forests; this expectation is increasing and diversifying. The Kansai Research Center aims to elucidate the mechanisms of various functions such as the maintenance of biological diversity, environmental conservation, wood production in forests, establishing a favorable relation between forests and the society and the development of comprehensive forest management. In addition, we collaborate with our headquarters to address national and global problems such as global warming.

 *Satoyama；Traditional rural forest landscapes integrated with village and cultivated areas.