Forestry in UWC ISAK Japan

Our commitment to the local sustainability

Technology and innovation: design thinking the forest

Forestry has been a blue ocean industry in Japan due to the lack of demand and its poor working conditions; this also means that the industry is abundant in opportunities that have not been explored yet. Only in the past few years, the Japanese society started to recognise its potential; some of the recent trends are the use of IT and forestry, and the increase of young workers moving to remote Japan to become lumberjacks. Our forest is a platform where we can actively experiment our design thinking approach to be part of the rising innovation. Learning can extend beyond the classrooms, and the forest can serve as a unique intersection between learning and doing.

Society: accessing the local culture in the forest

Satoyama, meaning village (里) and mountain (山) in Japanese, refers to the integration of human settlement and forest in the rural areas. People make sustainable living by actively using resources in forest for instance by producing charcoal out of underbrush or by collecting mushrooms, while contributing to the management of the environment simultaneously. Through our active engagement in the forest, we hope to access the local culture that is passed down over the generations and access their wisdoms. One of the objectives of this forest is to bridge UWC ISAK Japan and Ohinata to strengthen our responsibility to the local community.

Environment: contributing to the local sustainability

Well managed forest can contribute to the curbing of global warming, by increasing the rate of carbon fixation; currently, our forest is covered in underbrush compromising its ability to store carbon. If our forest was well maintained, it could fix 60 tonnes of carbon equivalent to the emissions produced in 10000 round trips by the Tsuruya shuttle. Also, forest stores rainwater, improves air quality, and provides habitat for the wildlife. Our active involvement in the forest can contribute to the local and global environmental sustainability, and preserve the natural landscape unique to Karuizawa.