This means that until the 18th century, the Satoyamas in the Japanese archipelago had undergone constant over forestation (please refer to the section 'Hageyama' (treeless hill)), and Satoyama had not been used in a 'sustainable' manner.
すなわち、18世紀にまで日本列島の里山は継続的に過剰利用の状態にあった（「はげ山」参照）のであり、「持続可能な」利用が為されていたわけではない。