ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: In Japan, nearly all the bamboo forests are not maintained any longer, and because bamboo trees are very fast growing, this result in a rapid expanding spread of large bamboo forests. There are now devastating problems occurring for the bamboo forests, which are invading the adjacent forests and surrounding areas. Bamboo forest thinning had always been the solution to prevent damage of such spread of bamboo forests to other tree varieties and the surrounding fi elds. Especially since there is no any longer a large demand for bamboo material, as well as the high loan costs in Japan, bamboo forest thinning is quiet diffi cult to undertake, in terms of economically effi ciency. In Kitakyushu (Japan), the NPO Kitakyushu Biotope Network Group undertakes thinning of bamboo forests through participation of citizens, all of them volunteers. Since November 2001, several environmental preservation activities were organized with the goal of preserving the bamboo forests in danger. Some of the main purposes of these activities were to make the citizens and the local government aware of the aggravating and severe problems and try to fi nd also ways for the use of bamboo material. Already more than 1000 local citizens have participated in these activities, and several hectares of bamboo forest are being maintained these days. Unfortunately however, because there is nearly no local demand for the bamboo material, all the bamboo material was chipped and the chipped bamboo material had been used for making of soil products.
