Some 23 cherry tree saplings from eight species were planted on February 26 around the West Library of the Higashi-Hiroshima Campus, including the fragrant "Surugadai Odora" and the "Youkihi," which has been cultivated since the Edo period. 

Under the guidance of Mr. Tsuneo Shioji, a technical specialist at the Higashi-Hiroshima Botanical Garden of Hiroshima University, 18 volunteer students and faculty members gathered on a drizzly day to carefully plant the saplings one by one. After the planting, they attached a plaque with the scientific name, the Japanese name of the tree, and a QR code that allows people to access detailed online information about the species on the Digital Natural History Museum of Hiroshima University website.

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Hiroki Muguruta, a fourth-year student from the School of Applied Biological Sciences, who participated in the tree planting, commented as follows. "I engage in these activities every day with the hope that more visitors to the campus will enjoy the rich nature at Hiroshima University and the changing colors of the four seasons. I also sincerely hope that more people will join us along with the museum and the botanical garden in our environmental conservation activities at the campus."

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At present, there are 76 varieties of cherry trees identified on campus, which is one of the largest numbers in the prefecture. All the cherry trees planted this time are rare breeds such as Osaka Fuyuzakura, Takasago, Benigasa, and Matsumae Hanazomei. In the future, from March to April, the university museum will take the lead and will work together with the students in surveying the number and types of cherry trees on campus. Approximately 1,300 cherry trees in total were confirmed at the end of 2017.