(こくさん)

domestically produced

(もくざい)

timber, lumber

(たてもの)

building

(つかう)

to use

(うごき)

movement; trend

(ひろがる)

to spread

(にほん)

Japan

(そだつ)

to grow up / to be raised

(き)

tree / wood

(たてる)

to build

(これまで)

until now / so far

(おおきな)

big (attrib.)

(てつ)

iron

(こんくりーと)

concrete

(つくる)

to make

(おおい)

many

(ぎじゅつ)

skill, technology

(すすむ)

to advance, to progress

(たかい)

expensive; high

(えき)

station

(がっこう)

school

(じむしょ)

office

(れい)

example; case

(ふえる)

to increase; to grow

(こくど)

national land, territory

(しんりん)

forest, woodland

(しめる)

to account for, to occupy

(しかし)

however, but

(ていれ)

care, maintenance

(ほうち)

neglect, leaving something alone

(やま)

mountain

(すくない)

few, scarce

(きる)

to cut, to cut down

(また)

again

(うえる)

to plant

(ながれ)

flow, cycle

(もり)

forest

(けんこう)

health, healthy

(たもつ)

to keep, to preserve

(つながる)

to be connected, to link up

(いっぽうで)

on the other hand

(かだい)

issue, problem, challenge

(のこる)

to remain / to stay behind

(はこぶ)

to carry; to transport

(ひと)

person / people

(かこう)

processing, manufacturing

(しょくにん)

craftsman / artisan

(たりる)

to be enough; to be sufficient

(かかく)

price

(あんてい)

stability, stable

(くに)

country; the government

(ほじょきん)

subsidy, grant

(だす)

to serve, put out

(りよう)

use; utilization

(あとおし)

backing, giving a push, support

is doing, has been doing (ongoing state/action)

Expresses a continuing action or resulting state. Formed with て-form + いる. Can describe an action in progress or a state resulting from a past change.

but / however (contrast)

Conjunctive particle used to connect two clauses with contrasting or unexpected information.

come to / reach the point where

Indicates a change in state or ability.

such as / etc.

Used to give examples from a larger group.

as is, remain in state

Indicates a state that remains unchanged.

passive form of する-verbs

The passive of a する verb, used here to describe what happens to the appliances rather than who does it. 回収される割合 means the proportion that gets collected.

called/named ~

Used to introduce or name something. In this article, 「鳥貴族」という店 means 'a store called Torikizoku'.

without ~ing

In 「分からず」 it means without understanding the meaning of signs, leading to accidents.

hard to ~; difficult to ~

Attached to a verb stem to describe difficulty — 'people who have difficulty hearing'.

国産の木材を建物に使う動きが広がる

A growing movement to use domestic timber in buildings

日本で育った木を使って建物を建てる動きが広がっている。

A movement to put up buildings using wood grown in Japan is spreading.

これまで大きな建物は鉄やコンクリートで作ることが多かったが、技術が進み、木でも高い建物が建てられるようになった。

Until now large buildings were usually made of steel and concrete, but technology has advanced, and it has become possible to build tall buildings out of wood as well.

駅や学校、事務所などで木を使う例が増えている。

Examples of wood being used at stations, schools, offices and the like are increasing.

日本の国土の多くは森林が占めている。

Forests take up much of Japan's land.

しかし、手入れされないまま放置された山も少なくない。

However, quite a few mountains have been left neglected without any care.

木を切って使い、また植えるという流れを作ることが、森を健康に保つことにつながるという。

Creating a cycle of cutting and using trees and then planting them again is said to help keep forests healthy.

一方で、課題も残る。

On the other hand, challenges remain.

木を運ぶ人や加工する職人が足りず、価格も安定しにくい。

There are not enough people to haul the wood or craftspeople to process it, and prices are hard to keep stable.

国は、木材を使った建物に補助金を出すなどして、利用を後押ししている。

The government is encouraging the use of timber by doing things such as giving subsidies to buildings that use it.