On April 27, 2024, JCCU, along with representatives from Iwate Co-op, Co-op Tohoku Sunnet Business Federation, and Co-op Kobe, visited the Taro Town Fisheries Cooperative in Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture, and presented a donation inventory(certificate) of 220,000 yen to the chairman of the cooperative.

The Taro Town Fisheries Cooperative, the producer of "CO・OP Masaki Wakame," has been planting konara oak saplings since 2002 to protect the clean sea. Mountain forests enhance water retention, allowing rainwater to permeate the soil and flow out slowly. These forests also help mitigate floods, stabilize river flow, and supply clear, low-turbidity water to the sea.

To support the Taro Town Fisheries Cooperative, five organizations (Taro Town Fisheries Cooperative, Iwate Co-op, Co-op Tohoku Sunnet Business Federation, Co-op Kobe, and JCCU) signed a memorandum of understanding on March 14, 2018. The agreement, titled "Tree Planting Fund Initiative with Taro Town Fisheries Cooperative through Masaki Wakame trade," and the parties established the "Tree Planting Fund." Part of the sales proceeds from "CO・OP Masaki Wakame" sold by these co-ops is donated to the fund.

On April 28, 2024, the Taro Town Fisheries Cooperative, along with representatives from JCCU, Iwate Co-op, Co-op Tohoku Sunnet Business Federation, Co-op Kobe, and local representatives, conducted this year's tree planting. A total of 1,000 konara oak saplings were planted in the local mountains.

JCCU, together with its member co-ops, will continue to protect the rich marine environment for the future through the "Tree Planting Fund."