Planting trees for a better tomorrow

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. April Quintanilla
  • 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  More than 200 people from Misawa Air Base and the local community worked together to plant approximately 1,400 Japanese Black Pine trees during the 3rd Annual Coastal Shore Belt Reconstruction Forest Project near Itsukawame, Japan, Oct. 25, 2014. 

The event was led by the Aomori Prefecture's Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. 

"I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the people of Misawa who came out to help restore the Coastal Shore Belt trees damaged by the 2011 tsunami," said Fumichika Ichinohe, director of Aomori's Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.  "With the help of the local community, we aim to restore the Coastal Shore Belt Forest by 2020."

The Misawa Air Base community has been a part of many reconstruction projects and relief efforts throughout northern Japan in support of Operation Tomodachi since 2011. 

"As a U.S. military member, I'm grateful for opportunities like these to allow us to get involved in the community," said Erik Staggs, 35th Medical Group diagnostic imaging technologist.  "It was an honor to work alongside our Japanese neighbors in helping the coastline.  My wife and I took our kids out to plant some trees and teach them that giving back to the community is important."