■ Overview


■ Purpose

We develop the woodmiles indexes which represent the transportation distances between the places at which timber is harvested and the places at which it is consumed, and disseminate information regarding the purpose and use of these indexes. By doing so, we intend to reduce transportation distances of timber as well as energy consumption during transportation, and to reinvigorate the demand for local wood. We hope that this will ultimately contribute to the effective utilization of our country’s local resources and to our country’s transition into a sustainable society.

■ Projects

1, Development of indexes and tools related to woodmiles
2, Dissemination of information regarding the purpose and use of woodmiles indexes
3, Relevant intelligence and research activities


■ Planned activities

-　Research and data collection on volumes, origins, and transportation modes used in the construction of houses
-　Determination of standard volumes and transportation distances used in the construction of houses, drafting of a calculation manual, development of calculation software
-　Establishment and maintenance of a website to promote this movement
-　Networking of specialists on LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) of houses
-　Planning and organization of seminars for the general public and those involved in related businesses
-　Short history of the movement prior to and after the launch of the Woodmiles Forum


■ Short history of the movement prior to and after the launch of the Woodmiles Forum

- Fujiwara, T (2002) “ Woodmiles and H ouses built from L ocal W ood” Timber Information.
- Takiguchi, Y (2003) Case study presentation at the Gifu Academy of Forest Science and Culture.
- Launch of the Woodmiles Forum (2003).
- Web-site and newsletters were started (2003).
-Manual for Calculating Woodmiles-related indexes (Ver. 2003) was published (2003)
- “Woodmiles” and “woodmileage” were registered as trade marks (2004).
- A paper, “Energy consumption due to transportation of wood and policy for local wood promotion : Policy evaluation with the Woodmileage ”, was presented at the Society of Environmental Economics and Policy Studies in Hiroshima (2004).
- A local wood certification scheme which involves woodmileage CO2 was launched in Kyoto Prefecture (2005).


■ Membership and organization

The Organization comprises f ull m embers and s upporting members
The President and the Organizing Committee organize the Forum’s activities


■ Address of the Secretariat

Woodmiles Forum, Secretariat,
1-10-1-202,Kamiasao,Asao,Kawasaki,Kanagawa,215-0021,JAPAN
TEL: +81-44-299-6720 / FAX: +81-44-299-6721