Shiiba Research Forest, Kyushu University - Japan

The Shiiba Research Forest (SRF) is located in the Kyushu Central Mountains at central part of Kyushu Island. The altitude ranges from 660 to 1607 m. Therefore, the climates in SRF is varied from warm-, and middle temperate to cool-temperate. The SRF is on the steep mountains consist of metamorphic rocks formed during Mesozoic era in the Cretaceous period to Cenozoic era in the Paleogene period in the eastern parts, and granite in the western parts of SRF. The SRF have the wide range of climate, geological and topographic conditions, which prove wide range of vegetation types. The natural forests are mainly cool-temperate deciduous broad-leaved forests consist of Fagus crenata, Quercus crispula, Stewartia monadelpha and so on, middle temperate mixed forests consist of deciduous broad-leaved trees and conifers such as Abies firma, Tsuga sieboldii and Pinus densiflora, and the warm temperate forests consist of evergreen broad leaved trees in lower altitude area. The plantation forests composed predominantely of Cryptomeria japonica and Chamaecyparis obtusa cover about 18% of the total area of SRF.