Yamashiro forest hydrology research site is located in the southern part of Kyoto prefecture. The site is in a broadleaf forest which is built up on weathered granite and the forest is also one of headstreams of Kizu River. The region used to be cleared off as it was managed as a suburban forest, until a century ago, when the green development operated by Johannis de Rijke has brought vegetation restoration. After the invasion by pine wilt disease in 1980’s, Konara oak has taken over and the forest is now regenerated. Such secondary forests are widely distributed throughout Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe and Seto Inland Sea coast area. Yamashiro research site was established to study internal mechanism of carbon circulation and to develop the flux observation method in such ecosystem. This site can be characterized by twin towers (one on the ridge and the other in the valley) to observe space variation in complex terrain. Several cooperative projects are carried out with neighboring universities to quantify the amount of fixed carbon and to find out the mechanism of carbon cycle. Our research activity covers wide range of areas which include long term continuous observation of seasonal change using automated chambers and REA observation of trace gas flux as well as common ecological investigations. Some studies are focusing particularly on high respiration activity of root and litter, and some are concentrating on the loss of noctornal flux by drainage flow or horizontal advection.

KOMINAMI Yuji, JOMURA Mayuko, ATAKA Mioko, TAMAI Koji, MIYAMA Takafumi(2012): Heterotrophic respiration causes seasonal hysteresis in soil respiration in a warm-temperate forest. Journal of Forest Research, 17(3):296-304.

JOMURA Mayuko, KOMINAMI Yuji, ATAKA Mioko(2012): Differences between coarse woody debris and leaf litter in the response of heterotrophic respiration to rainfall events. Journal of Forest Research, 17(3):305-311.

MAKITA Naoki, HIRANO Yasuhiro, DANNOURA Masako, KOMINAMI Yuji, MIZOGUCHI Takeo, ISHII Hiroaki, KANAZAWA Yoichi (2009): Fine root morphological traits determine variation in root respiration of Quercus serrata. Tree Physiology, 29(4):579-585

KOMINAMI Yuji, JOMURA Mayuko, DANNOURA Masako, GOTO Yoshiaki, TAMAI Koji, MIYAMA Takafumi, KANAZAWA Yoichi, KANEKO Shinji, OKUMURA Motonori, MISAWA Noriko, HAMADA Shogo, SASAKI Taizo, KIMURA Hitoshi, OHTANI Yoshikazu (2008): Biometric and eddy-covariance-based estimates of carbon balance for a warm-temperate mixed forest in Japan. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 148(5):723-737

KOMINAMI Yuji, MIYAMA Takafumi, TAMAI Koji, NOBUHIRO Tatsuhiko, GOTO Yoshiaki (2003): Characteristics of CO₂ flux over a forest on complex topography. Tellus B, 55(3):313-321

DANNNOURA Masako, KOMINAMI Yuji, OGUMA Hiroyuki, KANAZAWA Yoichi (2008): The development of an optical scanner method for observation of plant root dynamics. Plant Root, 2:14-18

JOMURA Mayuko, KOMINAMI Yuji, DANNOURA Masako and KANAZAWA Yoichi (2008): Spatial variation in respiration from coarse woody debris in a temperate secondary broad-leaved forest in Japan. Forest Ecology and Management, 255(1):149-155

TAMAI Koji, KOMINAMI Yuji, MIYAMA Takafumi, GOTO Yoshiaki, OHTANI Yoshikazu (2008): Topographical Effects on Soil Respiration in a Decious Forest -The Case of Weathered Granite Region in Southern Kyoto Prefecture-. Journal of Agricultural Meteorology, 64(4):215-222

MIYAMA Takafumi, KOMINAMI Yuji, TAMAI Koji, GOTO Yoshiaki, Teruhiko Kawahara, JOMURA Mayuko, DANNOURA Masako (2006): Components and seasonal variation of nighttime total ecosystem respiration in a Japanese broadleaved secondary forest. Tellus B, 58(5):550-559

GOTO Yoshiaki, KOMINAMI Yuji, MIYAMA Takafumi,TAMAI Koji, KANAZAWA Yoichi (2003): Aboveground Biomass and Net Primary Production of a Broad-leaved Secondary Forest in the Southern Part of Kyoto Prefecture, Central Japan. Bulletin of the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, 2(2):115-147 [in Japanese with an English abstract]

- Major Facility Installation for Carbon Dioxide Monitoring, Forestry Agency, MAFF*

- Research Grant, FFPRI

- Research Fund (Evaluation, Adaptation and Mitigation of Global Warming in Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries: Research and Development), MAFF*

- Grant in Aid of Special Coordination Funds for Promoting Science and Technology, MEXT**

- Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research, MEXT**

- Global Environment Research Account for National Institutes, MOE***

Yuji KOMINAMI, Takafumi MIYAMA, Koji TAMAI

Cooperative Researchers

Susumu TOHNO, Motonori OKUMURA, Masako DANNNOURA, Mioko ATAKA (Kyoto Univ.), Naoki MAKITA, Akira MATSUMOTO, Kenichi YOSHIMURA (Kobe Univ.), Mayuko JOMURA (Nihon University)

Forest Environment Group, Kansai Research Center,
Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI)
Address: 68 Nagaikyutaroh, Momoyama, Fushimi, Kyoto, 612-0855 JAPAN
TEL: +81-75-611-1201 (main)
email: