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Sumitomo started mining operations in the Konomai are a of Mombetsu in 1917. Konomai grew to be the largest gold mine in the East, reaching an annual production of 2.8 tons in 1940 and recording a peak of 3 tons in 1954. Production then trailed off and in 1973 the mine was closed. Currently, while also carrying out decontamination treatment to neutralize the iron-containing acid water that gushes out of the old mines, the Konomai office of Sumitomo Metal Mining has built a quarrying plant that meets the demand for rubble to stabilize the harbor at Mombetsu Port and elsewhere.
Looking back on bygone days, Hidenori Terabe, supervisor at the Konomai office, comments that "around 1940, there were over 13,000 people living in this area. There was a school, hospital, and a theater — quite impressive facilities, apparently."
As well as fishing and processing of marine products, forestry is also an industry that is alive and well in this city. Sumitomo Forestry accounts for by far the greatest share of business activity. Sumitomo's Mombetsu Forestry office, which manages 12,800 hectares (about 32% of the private forests in Mombetsu) is headed by Shigeyuki Yamaguchi. "One feature of the forests here is that high-value species like fir and useful broad-leaved trees readily regenerate naturally. Tree thinning, if carried out regularly, allows the young trees to grow. By nurturing that strength, I believe we can create rich forests with a good mix of conifers and broad-leaved trees," says Yamaguchi of his hopes for the future. At present, the Mombetsu office produces high-quality timber from Japanese larch (karamatsu), Saghalin fir (todomatsu), Yezo spruce (yezomatsu), and other softwoods, as well as hardwoods such as Japanese oak (mizunara)and Japanese red birch (makaba). |
