**3.2.2 Largest problem and background**

Residents can work in the city, as this cooperative is located in an urban neighborhood. It is not a wood-producing area, and activities related to forestry are generally sluggish. There are a few saw mills, in which the logs purchased from outside the area are processed. This cooperative has no forestry technicians. Thus, forest practices have not been introduced, although the cooperative has money for forest management. As thinning has never been conducted, the light intensity in the forest is low and future growth is not expected.

The planted forest was intensively managed in the 1960s and 1970s, but various problems relating to thinning are now occurring. In Case 1 described above with similar problems, a lack of funding for forest practices including thinning was a problem, but not in this case. Rather, an almost total lack of forestry knowledge and experience is the most important problem in this cooperative29. Such a situation is common in forest producer cooperatives located in urban neighborhoods, and seem to be related to the following three points.

First, almost all residents, including the cooperative members, have lost a relationship to the forest. Thus, they cannot judge when and how the forestry practices must be conducted. By the 1960s, some connections remained to the forest, such as using it as a source of fuel-wood utilized in daily life. However, wood and fuel-wood are not necessary for residents today. Thus, interest in forestry has dissipated, and along with it, the necessary knowledge, experience, and techniques to manage a forest.

Second, the age-class of the planted trees is increasing. In the 1960s and 1970s, planted trees were short when harvested and special techniques or large machines were not necessary for planting or weeding. Although this was certainly hard work, it was not dangerous or impossible. Today, however, specialized experience and forestry machines are necessary to thin 40-year-old trees. The cut trees must be moved to specific points or a forest road. Such practices cannot be conducted by cooperative members who have no forestry experience.

Third, even if the cooperative members cannot develop and conduct necessary forest practices, there is no problem if there is a forestry-related organization around for consultation. However, there is no such organization near this cooperative. Even if there were, most forest owners' cooperatives are generally weak in urban neighborhoods. In most cases, there are no forestry workers or machines, and their main work is paperwork.
