The Effectiveness of Windbreaks using GIS in the Tokachi Region, Hokkaido

This research was done to slow the decrease in the use of windbreaks by showing their effectiveness in preventing wind damage in the Tokachi region in Hokkaido, the northernmost prefecture in Japan. The main research method was using the windbreak data within the GIS (geographic information system). It was shown that the total length of windbreaks in the Tokachi region decreased from 2,801km in 1990 to 2,552km in 2000, which was a 249km (9%) decrease in 5 years. According to the district comparison within the Tokachi region, Makubetsu Town turned out to be the area with the largest extension decrease, which was 50%. The area with the largest extension increase, on the other hand, was Nakasatsunai with an increase of 218%. This comparison suggests that the decrease of windbreaks is not occurring at the same rate in different areas; farmers' different awareness of the significance of windbreaks is probably what has affected the different decrease rates of extension in each town. The wind erosion damage ratio increased with the density of the windbreak networks being reduced in Otofuke. And, it was proven that there was the negative correlation between the density of the windbreak networks and the wind erosion damage ratio in Otofuke.

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