In recent years, the necessity of contributing to environmental preservation and promoting the local economy by using local wood has been urged. The use of wood is also called for in civil engineering. Revitalization of the forestry industry has been required for the appropriate maintenance and management of forests (artificial forests). To encourage and support efforts to address such needs, the expansion of the use of wood has been an urgent task. In 2010, the Public Buildings Wood Use Promotion Act was enacted, and it specifies that necessary measures should be taken in civil engineering to promote the construction of wooden structures.

However, the strength and quality of wood are not consistent, and the lack of durability of wood from rotting is a problem. In light of Japanese society's need to reduce costs and labor regarding the development and maintenance of social overhead capital, the dissemination of wood as a construction material has not progressed in the way that planners had envisaged.

Under such circumstances, the Japan Society of Civil Engineers, the Japan Forest Society, and the Japan Wood Research Society, jointly published a proposal titled "Toward the Expansion of Wood Use in Civil Engineering" in March 2013. This proposal has five items, including "Development and promotion of technologies for wood use" and "Development of design methods and listing of the developed methods in related standards." These organizations have been calling for cooperation from government agencies and other organizations, including educational institutions.

This study clarified many of the benefits and points to bear in mind when using wood as a civil engineering material. These are the value and usefulness of using wood; methods for evaluating the durability of wood, which are necessary for installing wooden structures; and maintenance and management techniques required for wooden structures. The study aims to present the types of structures and the range within some structures for which local wood is applicable, and the standards for decision-making by the orderers in using wood in civil engineering structures.