Biodiversity

In a forest of approximately 100 hectares located on the premises of SUBARU Test & Development Center Bifuka Proving Ground, SUBARU started forest management and conservation activities in FYE March 2018, including tree-planting, thinning, and nature conservation. We aim to carry out these activities in collaboration with local communities such as Bifuka Town with a long-term plan to create a forest through artificial afforestation in 50 years. Furthermore, we began purchasing J-Credits in FYE March 2022 as a measure against climate change.
Wood from thinning during forest maintenance projects at SUBARU Forest Bifuka is used as biomass fuel. Meanwhile, wild animals such as Ezo red foxes and brown bears that live in the surrounding area have been spotted on the premises, and we are considering measures aimed at coexistence with these animals in cooperation with local governments.
In addition, as of FYE March 2020, Bifuka Town has acquired the SGEC-FM certification, an international forest certification scheme, for town- and SUBARU-owned forests, in order to achieve effective use of forest resources.

In 2018, Bifuka Town and SUBARU signed an agreement on implementation of forest conservation activities in order to carry out tree planting, forest thinning, nature conservation, and other activities in a forest of about 115 hectares on the SUBARU Test & Development Center Bifuka Proving Ground site as part of SUBARU Forest Project activities, as well as to conduct activities in partnership with local communities. As part of these activities, SUBARU sponsors an annual tree-planting ceremony. At the tree spirit ceremony and tree-planting ceremony held in May 2023, a total of about 70 administrative staff people from local forestry associations attended. With the hope of passing on healthy and abundant forests to the next generation, participants planted 240 Mongolian oak trees, a variety chosen for its compatibility with the biodiversity of Bifuka Town. These Mongolian oak trees will be ready for felling in around 70 years’ time.

SUBARU, Bifuka Town, and the Hokkaido Government Kamikawa General Subprefectural Bureau signed an agreement to promote conservation of the forest environment in Bifuka Town in 2019. SUBARU has been utilizing the corporate version of a hometown tax donation program—the government’s tax incentive scheme to encourage companies to support regional revitalization—to donate three million yen to the Hokkaido government’s Matsuyama Marsh* Forest Project over four years starting from FYE March 2020. The donations are used, among others, for boardwalk improvements in Matsuyama Marsh. Four donations have been made so far, and the donation was made and used to replace the old signpost and maintain trails so that the trekking route is properly demarcated to preserve valuable vegetation and ensure the safety of visitors.

*

Matsuyama Marsh (Bifuka Town): Japan’s northernmost high-altitude wetland situated 797 meters above sea level. As the marsh is home to around 200 distinctive plant species, including ferns and mosses, the Ministry of the Environment has selected it as one of Japan’s 500 most important wetlands.

In April 2018, SUBARU obtained the naming rights to a prefectural forest park in Gunma Prefecture, where its automotive plants are located. The park’s name, “SUBARU Friendship Forest Akagi,” will be used for the five years through 2023. In March 2022, we also donated 10 bike racks made from thinned wood to the forest park. Donations in FYE March 2021, FYE March 2022, and FYE March 2023 are part of the 9.8 million yen we will donate over the five-year period to the prefectural government to support forest park conservation and management.

Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture, is where our Aerospace Company is located. Through FYE March 2023, we supported the conservation and management of part of the city-owned SUBARU Forest Utsunomiya in collaboration with the city. In this initiative, we supported thinning and the use of thinned wood for benches and bike racks.

The Kitamoto Plant in Kitamoto City has been nurturing and taking care of cherry trees growing on the site since they were received from the city in 2003. The trees are descendants of the Ishito Kabazakura cherry tree, estimated to be 800 years old, at Tokoji Temple in the city. Ishito Kabazakura was designated as a natural monument of Japan in 1922 and is classified as one of Japan’s five great cherry trees.

Located in Musashino City, the Tokyo Office has been planting bamboo-leaf oak, East Asian beautyberry, and other species native to the area within the office’s premises to enhance the landscape and biodiversity. We also participate in activities to protect the natural features of the region and share opinions with industry, government, academia, and the private sector.

Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. (SIA) worked to protect the ecosystem of its plant site and provide a friendly habitat for local wildlife by improving water retention and enhancing the surrounding greenspace. As a result, the National Wildlife Foundation designated the site as a supportive wildlife habitat in 2003, the first such designation of an automotive production plant in the U.S. The plant is surrounded by a rich natural environment home to many wild deer, where wild Canadian geese and herons also feed and rest.

SIA has been supporting Wolf Park since 2020. This organization is engaged in wildlife education, conservation, and research for wolves, foxes, and bison. SIA also sponsors a nature conservation organization called NICHES Land Trust. It not only protects the local environment itself but also partners with other organizations that do so. In addition, every year SIA joins with the NPO Tree Lafayette to mark Earth Day. In 2022, it supported a project to plant 15 trees at Miller Elementary School.

In partnership with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, SOA participated in the Philadelphia Flower Show in 2022. Participants were given the opportunity to learn how to plant flowers in a pot they were given to take home with them.