Establishes "Japan's Largest Elite Tree Closed Seed Orchard" at Our Akita Mill
Nippon Paper Industries Co.,Ltd.
Nippon Paper Industries Co.,Ltd.(head office : Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President: Akira Sebe, hereinafter referred to as“the Company” ) is aiming to expand its seedling production business, such as elite trees*1, which have excellent growth, high CO2 absorption capacity, and low pollen content. The Company have opened “Akita closed type seed plantation”, which is the largest in Japan.
The Company has been certified “specified breeding company ”for the propagation of elite trees of Japanese cedarand Japanese cypress based on the Special Measures Act for Thinning and other special measures in six prefectures of Akita, Shizuoka, Hiroshima, Tottori, Kumamoto, and Oita, and has set upseed plantationin scion plantation*2. The newly opened“Akita closed type seed plantation”has an annual seed production capacity of 1.6 million seedlings. In addition, including the Tottori Prefecture site, which is scheduled to start construction in FY2025, the Group entire elite tree seedlings production capacity will be 4.6 million per year.
As with the seed plantation that has been opened so far, this seed plantation will adopt a closed type using a greenhouse to prevent the invasion of foreign pollen, and will also carry out artificial crossing to ensure that elite trees are crossed with each other. The first harvest of seeds is expected to be in October 2026, and with the enhancement of seed harvests, we aim to produce 1.6 million seeds per year over the next few years. The seeds produced will be supplied to areas such as the first ward*3, mainly in Akita Prefecture, based on the Japanese cedar seed and seedling distribution area according to the forestry industry seed and seedling law. After that, we will start producing seedlings in collaboration with local producers in 2027, with the goal of shipping them from the fall of the same year.
We are a large-scale forest owner with approximately 90,000 hectares of company-owned forests in Japan, and we have one of the largest woody supply chains in Japan. The Forestry Agency has set a target of“forestry occupies seedlings for industry increase the proportion of elite trees to more than 90% by 2050”in“Green Food System Strategy”, and the Group has set a goal of eliminating the shortage of seedlings in the domestic forestry industry and creating elite trees by significantly increasing the production system this time. We will strive to expand our forest resource business. At the same time, we will promote a Green Strategy that contributes to maintaining and strengthening the multifaceted functions of forests, which account for approximately 70% of the country's land area. This strategy aims to balance the expansion of our forest resource business with the enhancement of our company-owned forests.
The Company“a comprehensive biomass company shaping the future with trees”, we will continue to maximize the various values of forests based the Company Green Strategy, promote the spread of biomass products, and contribute to the construction of acirculation-oriented society.
[Facility Overview]
■Name: Nippon Paper Industries Co.,Ltd. Akita Closed seed plantation
■Location: 2-1-1 Mukohama, Akita City, Akita Prefecture (inside the Akita mill of Nippon Paper Industries Co.,Ltd.)
■Specifications: 8 greenhouses (7.2m in frontage× 50m in depth× 5m in height)
■Scale: Produces 1.6 million seedlings every year (plans to expand production by adding greenhouses according to demand)
■Features: During the artificial breeding period, the greenhouse is closed to promote flowering and control foreign pollen, so thatelite trees can be reliably crossed with each other. In addition, early seed collection and stable production are expected to be used to manage the mother tree using the root zone control cultivation method*4.
*1 Elite Trees, etc.
Refers to a seedling derived from a specific mother tree. Specified mother trees are designated by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries as particularly outstanding in terms of growth-related characteristics in order to improve the ability of forests to absorb and fix CO2 in the Special Measures Act for Thinning, etc. The criteria for designation include growth that is more than 1.5 times that of conventional lines, pollen content is less than half that of common Japanese cedar and Japanese cypress, and there is no bend in the straightness of the trunk.
*2 Seed Plantation・Scion Plantation
Seed plantationis an arboretum that plants mother trees for the purpose of producing a large amount of seeds and makes it easier to collect seeds. Seedlings are produced by sowing seeds obtained from seed plantation.
Scion plantationis an arboretum where mother trees are planted for the purpose of obtaining scions for the production of cuttings and seedlings.
*3 7 areas of Japanese cedarseed and seedling distribution area according to forestry industry seed and seedling law
*4 Rhizosphere control cultivation method
A cultivation method that has been put into practical use in the fruit tree field for the purpose of early and high yields. Japanese cedar and Japanese cypress are planted in pots, etc., and by stressing them while controlling the root zone, early seed collection and stable production are possible.