Institutional development · Research, innovation and assessment · Japan
Study of 191 Japanese forest plots since the 1950s links structural change to climate trends
Researchers from Kyoto University, Osaka Metropolitan University and other Japanese institutions report changes in all four of Japan's main forest biomes, with structural change linked to climate trends.
Why it matters: Forest researchers at the participating Japanese universities and institutes report structural change in all four of Japan's main forest biomes, tied to climate trends.
According to Kyoto University, a research group pooled observation data collected since the 1950s from 191 forest survey plots across Japan and calculated annual change rates in total basal area for each plot.
The group divided the plots into four biomes, namely boreal conifer, deciduous broadleaf, temperate conifer and evergreen broadleaf forests, and reported changes in forest structure and in the share of functional tree types in all of them.
The researchers said structural change was linked to climate trends and that the results suggest species preferring warm climates are increasing while those preferring cold climates are declining.
The study, involving researchers from institutions including Osaka Metropolitan University, Kyoto University, Hokkaido University, the University of Tokyo and the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, was published online in the journal Forest Ecosystems on 20 August 2026.
Editor’s view
Abigail Taylor, Leadership and Governance Editor
For the forest researchers at the participating institutions, the study, published online on 20 August 2026, reports structural change in all four of Japan's main forest biomes linked to climate trends, and suggests that warm-climate tree species are increasing as cold-climate species decline.
