My name is Kenji Fukuda, and I am honored to serve as the inaugural director of the Forest GX/DX Co-creation Center (FGDC), established on April 1, 2024. I look forward to working with you.
At the University of Tokyo Forests, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, which holds a wealth of valuable data and materials. These include over 100 years of data from continuous forest inventories at the cedar plantation experimental station in the University of Tokyo Chiba Forest, as well as meteorological and hydrological observation data from the Ecohydrology Research Institute.
We also have photographs and forestry records documenting the state of forests from the Meiji period to the present day, along with specimens of flora, fauna, and fungi. Importantly, our efforts to gather, preserve, and update this data are ongoing.
One of the primary missions of the University of Tokyo Forests, we have focused on the collection and maintenance of valuable data beyond providing a field for forest research and outdoor training. This work, distinct from the research conducted by the faculty themselves, is a key pillar of our organizational activities and is supported by a dedicated team of professors, technical staff, and administrative personnel.
Despite challenges such as staffing and budgets reductions over the past few decades, as well as a prevailing trend toward short-term research outputs, we have steadfastly continued our foundational research activities. In parallel, we have also digitized historical data and materials, making images and databases publicly accessible.
Furthermore, the University of Tokyo Hokkaido Forest has conducted field tests on the stand-based silvicultural management practices related to forest management and conservation,advancing technological sophistication and efficiency. These efforts include the use of satellite data, UAVs (drones) monitoring, and the development of electronic field notebooks using tablet devices.
In recent years, the technological innovations and data digitization initiatives independently undertaken by the University of Tokyo Forests, as part of the "Digital Transformation" (DX) of the forests, have attracted significant attention both within and outside the university.
These technologies form the foundation for realizing a "Green Transformation" (GX), and also serve as a basis for accurately measuring the carbon dioxide absorbed and stored by forests, with the goal of building a decarbonized society through the sustainable use of renewable forest resources, such as timber.
Moreover, our long-standing efforts in international collaboration with university forests across Asia, contributions to public education and school tours through partnerships with local governments, and engagement in joint research with private companies will provide a strong foundation for the social implementation of forest GX both domestically and internationally.
In response to these high social expectations, the University of Tokyo Forests have evolved from the Field Data Research Center (FDRC) into the newly established Forest GX/DX Co-creation Center (FGDC). This new center will serve as a hub for research and human resource development in forest GX/DX, and as a core of regional co-creation and international
collaboration between industry, government, and academia.
It represents a significant step toward building and realizing
"The University of Tokyo Model" for a sustainable society.
We sincerely appreciate your continued understanding and cooperation.
Kenji FUKUDA
Director, Forest GX/DX Co-creation Center (FGDC)
The University of Tokyo
