June 2025:

Our partner in Italy, Prof. Antonio Brunori and other members of PFEC including Marco Bussone, Ana Belén Noriega, and Makiko Horio came to Hiroshima on May 14. We presented Antonio to master gardener Chikara Horiguchi—and soon they became best friends, despite the language barrier—language of trees truly universal! We also learned so much from Antonio, whose passion for and knowledge about trees impressive, and are looking forward to more cooperation in the future around the hibakujumoku. Attached press release from PEFC in response to the earlier awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Nihon Hidankyo, including information on their activities related to the hibakujumoku seeds and second-generation saplings. Thanks to the passion and dedication of Antonio and Tiziana Volta, as well as their many colleagues and associates, 49 trees from GLH seeds have been "adopted" all over Italy to date.