Japanese find it easier to be green

Such a move would not only be positive from an environmental health point of view, but could also "be positive ecologically if the culled trees were replaced by a greater variety of species, ideally a mixed canopy," says Mr. Nickum.

Indeed, unless something is done urgently, Japan's cedar woes may become permanent. Forestry workers here are aging rapidly and there is a danger that soon there won't be enough left who are physically capable of thinning work.

"If culling can't be carried out, then mixing in broadleaf trees won't proceed and forests that are too dense to operate in will spread," says Mr. Ishii.

More than 30 municipalities around the country are addressing the issue broadly, introducing environment taxes to help restore or preserve woods, as well as fund forest maintenance and education programs.

"One of the main reasons behind these forest taxes has been regional autonomy laws introduced in 2000 that make it easier for local municipalities to impose new tax regimes," says environmental policy analyst Mikihiko Watanabe at The Japan Research Institute, a private research consultancy.

"Other key factors," he adds, "are more interest in environmental problems among the general population, and a higher awareness of the important role that forests play in cultivating water sources."

Two of Japan's 47 prefectures, Okayama and Kochi in western Japan, have also recently imposed such forest taxes. Although the levy only amounts to about 500 yen ($7) a year, the fact that there has been little resistance suggests a shift in thinking, says Mr. Watanabe.

In the 1980s, few would have been willing to foot the bill. But now, "Japanese view the forest's function in maintaining the water table, or the enjoyment provided by beautiful scenery as a kind of service that requires upkeep," he says.

Indeed, surveys show that households in Kanagawa, south of Tokyo, would be willing to pay an extra 2,000 yen ($17) annually to improve the environmental-friendliness of drainage facilities, for instance.

Citizens of Hyogo, west of Osaka, wouldn't mind a new tax of about 9,000 yen ($80) for steps to prevent erosion, or to make exhaust emissions 20 percent cleaner.

Other projects considered of equal value were introducing protective measures for 190 types of wild bird, or creating 75 kilometers of hiking trail.

Japanese companies, long known for their environmentally friendly products, are also playing a more active role in forest conservation.

Toyota Motor Corp., for example, sponsors forest, wetland, and mangrove swamp projects domestically and also in China.

It runs a school in central Japan to teach elementary students about environmental issues, and supports a number of nonprofit organizations such as the WWF (World Wildlife Fund).

And TEPCO, Japan's largest electricity supplier has donated millions of dollars toward reforestation.

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