Wajima City, Noto Forestry Association, and 'more trees' to Sign Agreement on June 3 for Noto's Forest Recovery

Wajima City (Ishikawa Prefecture, Mayor Shigeru Sakaguchi), the Noto Forestry Association (Anamizu Town, Ishikawa, Chairman Junichiro Kamei), and the general incorporated association 'more trees' (Minato-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director Kengo Kuma) have decided to conclude the 'Noto Furusato Co-creation Forest' agreement for the creative reconstruction of Noto. A signing ceremony will be held in Wajima City on June 3, 2026.

Architect Kengo Kuma, who serves as the representative director of 'more trees,' will attend the ceremony to share his thoughts on Noto. This agreement aims to hand down the forestry of 'Ate' (Noto Hiba), a regional resource of Wajima City, to the next generation in a sustainable manner. It also seeks to recruit the participation of diverse companies and organizations involved with the forest and the community to jointly strive for the restoration of Noto's forests and lifestyles, which were damaged by the earthquake and heavy rains.

Background of the Agreement The Noto Peninsula has long been known as a producer of excellent conifers called 'Ate' (Noto Hiba), supporting regional culture and industries such as Wajima lacquerware. However, the Noto Peninsula Earthquake on January 1, 2024, and the heavy rain disaster in September of the same year had a profound impact on life and the forest environment in Noto. In the forestry and timber industry, unprecedented damage was recorded, including over 100 cases of mountain slope collapses and sediment runoff, over 2,000 cases of forest road damage, and damage to more than 30 timber processing and distribution facilities, severely damaging the production base for Noto Hiba. In response, the Noto Forestry Association established the 'ATE-NET' platform in February 2025 to reconstruct the value chain. 'more trees' joined this framework, leading to this tripartite agreement.

Outline of the Agreement The three parties will co-creatively promote the following initiatives: 1. Sustainability of Ate forestry and creation of diverse forests. 2. High value-addition and promotion of the use of regional materials, including Noto Hiba. 3. Information dissemination and exchange activities to create a 'relational population' in Noto. 4. Securing and developing the human resources necessary for these implementations. 5. Ensuring regional safety and security, as well as providing support for recovery and reconstruction during disasters.

Following the signing, the parties plan to develop initiatives to connect Noto's forests and communities to the future while calling for the participation of diverse companies and organizations.