Tokyo - The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announced that on Saturday, April 4, 2009, it staged a tree-planting ceremony as part of its "Yokohama Forever Forest" Project at the Salem, Virginia, plant of Yokohama Tire Corporation (YTC), a key location in the production of tires in North America. The ceremony was the fourth such event at an overseas location, following those at Yokohama Tire Philippines, Inc., Hangzhou Yokohama Tire Co., Ltd., in China, and Yokohama Tire Manufacturing (Thailand) Co., Ltd. Some 250 people attended the ceremony and about 2,300 trees were planted.

Prior to the ceremony, Dr. Akira Miyawaki, a noted ecologist and professor emeritus of Yokohama National University, who has been guiding the tree-planting efforts, supervised preparation for the planting, including a supply of seedlings based on his investigation last July of trees natural to the area. At the ceremony, representatives of forestry offices in the city of Salem and the state of Virginia, students from local elementary schools, local Boy Scouts, and YTC employees and their families were present. Following addresses by guests and YTC President Takao Oishi and a presentation and tree-planting guidance by Dr. Miyawaki, the participants planted eight kinds of trees, including oak, maple and black gum. A raffle and various other events to strengthen ties with the local community were also staged.

The "Yokohama Forever Forest" Project will create forests at domestic and overseas production sites over a period of ten years, in anticipation of the company's 100th anniversary in 2017. Fifty thousand trees in all will be planted at seven plants in Japan and eleven overseas plants. The first-phase tree-planting ceremonies have been held at six domestic plants (the last is scheduled at the Shinshiro Plant on May 23) and four plants overseas, with 80,000 trees planted so far. Domestically, the second-phase tree-planting ceremonies have already begun. Internationally, tree-planting will take place at Yokohama Rubber (Thailand) Co., Ltd., in September.