To look back on Taiwan’s century-long history of forestry and reflect on the relationship between human and nature for future generations, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FANCA) officially opened the “100Y Forest Rhythms: ＿＿” special exhibition today (02/06). Using the thread of time as a guide, the exhibition leads visitors along a river of history woven by mountains, forests, and people, where they will witness how forests have weathered storms together with Taiwan and gain a deeper understanding of the path toward sustainable governance that we have today. According to the FANCA, when Sanrinka, the Forestry Section of the Taiwan Government-General launched the Forest Management Project in 1925, it was the first time that comprehensive scientific survey and planning of Taiwan’s forests had been conducted, laying the foundation for modern forestry. In the post-war era, the Forestry Bureau took over this task. It underwent the “Forest Protection First” period focused on recovery and regeneration in the 1950s, then the “Stand Conversion Project” large-scale afforestation campaign aimed at stimulating the economy in the 1960s. The Taiwan Forestry Management Reform Program in 1975 emphasized that conservation should be prioritized. The logging of natural forests was banned in 1991, while the promotion of increasing the self-sufficiency rate of domestic timber began in 2017. In 2023, the Forestry Bureau was restructured into the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency with the vision of “Sustainable Forestry, Ecological Taiwan.” The role of forests has gradually shifted from an economic pillar to a foundation for national security, living environments, and ecological sustainability. This exhibition is titled “100Y Forest Rhythms: ＿＿” precisely because mountains and forests follow their own rhythm. There are times of storms, times of sunshine, and times when patience is required. The roles that mountains and forests play have also evolved due to social, political and economic changes. The exhibition presents the intertwined rhythm of Taiwan’s forestry and social transformations through four main themes. From the post-war forest protection policy of “Protect Formosa” and the afforestation movement to green Taiwan, to forestry as the driver of economic development and support for industrialization, to the transformation and reflection after the ban on logging of natural forests, and finally to the new stage of “Sustainable Forestry, Ecological Taiwan,” the audience gains insights into the historical context behind each choice and comes to understand the weighty role that forests play in Taiwan. The FANCA emphasized that the exhibition not only showcases policies and systems, but also focused on “the place of people in the forest.” Whether they are workers making a living in the forest compartments, residents of mountain villages and Indigenous communities, technocrats and researchers, or citizens who walk through the forest, they are all part of this river of time. The exhibition also invites the audience to slow down, listen to the rhythm of the mountains and forests, and rediscover the connection between humans and nature through images, maps, interactive experiences, and storytelling. The FANCA stated that forestry in Taiwan has transitioned from the unilateral government forest management in the past to today’s emphasis on forest stewardship focusing on those who depend on forests for their livelihoods and co-management with local Indigenous communities. Taiwan’s forestry is now entering a new phase that emphasizes nature-based and people-centric approaches so that national forests can become the public’s forests. This exhibition is not just a retrospective, but also an invitation, inviting society to collectively contemplate this question: What role do we want forests to play in the next hundred years? In the mountains and forests, there are times of wind and rain, and times of clear skies. The FANCA extends a warm invitation the public to step into the exhibition hall, walk along the river of time, look back on the path we have traveled, and imagine the direction of the future. Together, let us write the future story of Taiwan and its forests.
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