Employee and Family Members Carry Out Volunteer Afforestation Activities in Hitachi High-Tech Yasato Forest

On May 13 as part of the Hitachi High-Tech Yasato Forest afforestation activities intended to make a contribution to countering global warming, Hitachi High-Tech Group employees and their families volunteered to prune and thin out trees with the cooperation of the Ibaraki District Forest Office and the Haga District Forestry Cooperative.

Pruning (the removal of excess branches) is necessary so that sturdy trees with no nodes can be grown. Thinning is necessary because when trees grow they stop sunlight reaching the ground. This means that undergrowth does not sprout and fertile topsoil gets washed away by the rain, which prevents trees from growing sturdily.

The participants and staff spent roughly one hour hiking to Yasato Forest. It was raining when our group of 38 arrived so we shortened the time spent on our activities slightly, and carried out such tasks as pruning, repairing bird boxes, and observing the vegetation around the afforestation area.
Although the time spent on afforestation tasks was limited, the feedback we received from participants included the following comment: “I’m glad we had the chance to learn about pruning, thinning and tree planting via this experience.”

Going forward, the Hitachi High-Tech Group will continue with our afforestation project and activities to protect biodiversity.