In Japan, abandonment of forest management and underuse of forest resources are substantial challenges to environmental protection and sustainable wood production, while in many other countries, leaving a forest untouched may be perceived as positive for conserving the forest. This study thus analyses the scientific knowledge landscape on the causes and consequences of reduced human intervention in formerly managed forests and compares differences between Japan and other countries. Advanced search rules in the bibliographic databases returned 188 publications [35 for Japan and 153 for other countries] related to reduced human intervention in formerly managed forests. Reduced human intervention in formerly managed forests occurred in developed countries in the mid-twentieth century because of socio-economic changes and was primarily directed by small-scale private landowners, causing structural homogenisation, stand ageing, and canopy closure, often followed by the consequences of decreasing biodiversity and ecosystem services in Japan and other countries. In Japan, heavy dependency on wood imports at the expense of biodiversity and ecosystem services and the impending need for harvesting abundant mature forests due to the unbalanced tree age distribution possibly enhanced the recognition and urgency of underuse as a threat to biodiversity and wood security, while in other countries, multiple management objectives of diverse landowners probably dispersed the recognition of underuse. Although less recognised in other countries, the absence of forest management can pose a risk to biodiversity and ecosystem services. Hence, reactivating forest management in underused private forests can be a cost-effective precautionary approach against possible damage from underuse-induced ecosystem disservices. Policy implications for sustainable forest management in underused private forests are discussed from a perspective beyond conventional private ownership.

中文翻译：

---

在日本和其他国家/地区以前的人工林中减少人为干预的原因和后果

在日本，放弃森林管理和对森林资源的利用不足是环境保护和可持续木材生产的重大挑战，而在许多其他国家中，保持森林原封不动对于保护森林是积极的。因此，本研究分析了在先前管理的森林中减少人为干预的原因和后果的科学知识前景，并比较了日本与其他国家之间的差异。书目数据库中的高级搜索规则返回了188份出版物（日本为35份，其他国家为153份），这与减少对以前管理的森林的人为干预有关。二十世纪中叶，由于社会经济变化，发达国家减少了对人工经营森林的人为干预，这主要是由小型私人土地所有者主导的，从而导致结构同质化，林分老化和林冠封闭，常常带来后果日本和其他国家的生物多样性和生态系统服务的减少。在日本，严重依赖木材进口以牺牲生物多样性和生态系统服务为代价，并且由于树龄分布不平衡而迫切需要采伐丰富的成熟森林，这可能会增强人们对利用不足作为对生物多样性和木材安全的威胁的认识和紧迫性，同时在其他国家，不同土地所有者的多重管理目标可能分散了对利用不足的认识。尽管在其他国家/地区对森林的了解较少，但是缺乏森林管理可能会对生物多样性和生态系统服务构成威胁。因此，在未充分利用的私有森林中重新启动森林管理可以是一种经济有效的预防措施，可防止由于利用不足引起的生态系统破坏而造成的损害。从常规私有制以外的角度讨论了对未充分利用的私有林中可持续森林管理的政策影响。