Recently, bamboo groves have been expanding in Japanese satoyama landscapes. This study clarified the change in the distribution of bamboo groves on Mt. Hachiman, Shiga Prefecture, Japan, between 1947 and 2006 and the factors that accelerated bamboo grove expansion using a generalized linear model.

Vegetation and land-use maps for 1947, 1967, 1985, and 2006 were made from aerial photographs. These maps were converted into raster format maps with a 10 × 10-m cell size. For cells consisting of seven vegetation and land-uses in 2006, the study evaluated the vegetation and land use (VL), spatial factors (SF), topographic factors (TF), and artificial factors related to settlements using a generalized linear model with stepwise selection using the AIC. For the cells that changed to bamboo groves (BA) from other categories during each time interval, the study evaluated the VL, SF, and TF using a generalized linear model.

After 1967, the total area of BA expanded. In 2006, deciduous broad-leaved forests, pine forests, and bushes and grasslands are native vegetation types in secondary succession trajectories at sites located at a distance from BA. Native vegetation in secondary succession trajectories occurred at sites removed from BA. BA expanded after the 1960s mainly abandoned forests and fields, indicating that as forests and agricultural land were abandoned, bamboo invaded these areas.