Elite Tree Planting in Namie, Fukushima

– Project MORISORA's Vision for Forest Circulation in Tohoku –

On June 2, 2026, as part of Project MORISORA—which operates under the slogan "from Forest to Sky"—volunteer employees from four participating companies (Nippon Paper Industries, Sumitomo Corporation, Green Earth Institute, and Japan Airlines) planted "Elite Trees" at a trial planting site in Namie, Fukushima (near the Namie IC on the Joban Expressway).

[Volunteer employees from four Project MORISORA companies and officials from the Namie Town Office]

This initiative involves planting seedlings of ”Elite Tree” with superior growth potential and cold-hardy eucalyptus trees that can grow even in the Tohoku region. By conducting regular, fixed-point observations, we aim to confirm the growth potential of ”Elite Tree” and eucalyptus in the field, analyze the results of their growth, and promote widespread recognition of their advantages throughout Japan.

[Overall view of the test planting site] [Test site(near the Namie IC)]

Morisora Biorefinery LLC aims to realize a sustainable society by circulating domestic forest resources through bioethanol production using domestic woody biomass​. In this context, securing a stable supply of this raw material and revitalizing the domestic forestry industry are crucial issues. Namie Town—located near our bioethanol production base in Iwanuma City, Miyagi Prefecture—is of particular focus. Although forests cover 70% of the town, much of the area remains a difficult-to-return zone due to the Great East Japan Earthquake, resulting in a disrupted forest cycle.

On the day of the event, Mr. Tachikawa, Director of the Green Strategy Promotion Department at Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd., gave a lecture at the Namie Town Disaster Prevention and Community Center on the company’s Elite Tree seedling business and the initiatives of Morisora Biorefinery LLC. Following this, Mr. Oura, Director of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Division at the Namie Town Office, spoke about the current status and challenges of the town‘s reconstruction. Set in Namie Town—which is making strong strides toward recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake—this initiative went beyond simply planting seedlings. By learning about the current state of local forestry and introducing the characteristics of Elite Trees to the town officials, the event provided a valuable opportunity to reaffirm the social significance of Project MORISORA.

[Mr. Tachikawa,Nippon Paper Industries] [Mr. Oura, Namie Town Hall]

Following the lectures, we moved to a trial planting site near the Namie Interchange on the Joban Expressway. There, we carefully planted the seedlings one by one, each carrying our hopes for the future.

[Tree planting in progress]

[Elite Tree] [Eucalyptus]

Project MORISORA has been collaborating with Namie Town for the past two years through tree-planting initiatives at these trial sites. Moving forward, we remain committed to contributing to the reconstruction of the Tohoku region through these ongoing activities.

[Event Overview]

• Date and time: Tuesday, June 2, 2026

• Location : Namie Town experimental planting site

  (adjacent to the Namie Interchange on the Joban Expressway)

• Organizers : Nippon Paper Industries Ltd., Sumitomo Corporation

• Cooperation : Namie Town Office, Fukushima Prefecture

• Participants : Project MORISORA participating companies

  (Nippon Paper Industries, Sumitomo Corporation, JAL, GEI)

• Content : Lectures and tree planting on the current situation and

  challenges of Elite Tree and Namie Town.