On March 16, 2026, the award ceremony for the Japanese Forestry Society was held during the 137th Annual Meeting of the Society at the Tsukuba International Congress Center. At the ceremony, Dr. TANAKA Kenzo, Senior Researcher in the Forestry Division of JIRCAS, received the Society Award, while Dr. KATSUURA Hiiragi, Researcher in the same division, received the Young Scientist Encouragement Award.

The Japanese Forestry Society Award is presented to members who have made significant academic contributions to forest science. Quantifying tropical forest biomass and evaluating tree environmental adaptability are essential for predicting the impacts of future climate change. Dr. Tanaka’s research on “Elucidating carbon sequestration functions and environmental adaptability of tropical forest trees in Southeast Asia” was highly recognized.

The Young Scientist Encouragement Award is given to honor promising early-career researchers. Dr. Katsuura received the award for research conducted during her time at Nagoya University, titled “Seasonal and interspecific variations in the water uptake depth of trees in a moist cool-temperate mixed forest in Japan,” which used isotopic methods to estimate the depth of water uptake by tree roots. Currently at JIRCAS, Dr. Katsuura plans to further develop her research on belowground forest systems, including root functions of tropical forestry species.