1909年金平亮三渡臺，1919年擔任林業試驗場場長，隔（1920）年，則以臺灣樹木的解剖研究獲得東京帝大的林學博士，也是日本領臺後在臺日人第一位林學博士，1921年升任臺灣總督府中央研究所林業部首任部長，1928年返日擔任九州帝國大學農學部教授。金平自1909年來臺直到1948年去世，40年間，有20年的時光在殖民地臺灣，而其在臺期間，則長達10年擔任當時臺灣最重要的林學研究機構之場長、部長職務，其學術與地位深刻影響了臺灣近代林業學術之發展，可謂殖民地臺灣林學發展的重要舵手。 綜觀其40年的林學成就有兩個高峰，一是1920年4月時任殖產局林業試驗場長之際，向東京帝國大學農學部提交以英文撰寫之《臺灣產樹木ノ解剖學的研究》，獲大學教授會審查通過，成為「臺灣最初的林學博士」；另一高峰則是其1933（昭和8）年完成《南洋群島植物誌》，3（1936）年後，日本農學會以《南洋群島植物誌》崇高的學術成就，將象徵日本農學界最高榮譽的「日本農學賞」，頒贈予時任九州帝國大學農學部教授的金平亮三，同年，東京帝大農學會亦頒予「農學會賞」，隔（1937）年，帝國學士院以其對南洋植物分布研究的卓越貢獻，將象徵學術界最高榮譽之「學士院賞」頒贈給金平亮三，兩年內日本學界接續賦予的三項至高榮賞，確定了金平亮三在日本近代熱帶林學最高權威的地位。易言之，金平亮三來臺12年後，以臺灣領域為範圍的樹木研究，成為林學專家；同時經過20餘年的學術累積，終至成為臺灣樹木研究與近代日本熱帶林學最高權威。「熱帶臺灣」可說是其林學學術履歷的重要基地，而其成就亦可視為臺灣近代林學發展重要的學術業績。

In 1909, Kanehira Ryôzô came to Taiwan and became the leader of a forestry experiment station in 1919. The following year (1920), he received a Doctoral degree of Forestry from Tokyo Imperial University on Taiwan woods anatomy. He was also the first Japanese who received a Doctoral degree of Forestry after the Japanese governed Taiwan. In 1921, he got promoted to be the first minister of Department of Forestry in Taiwan Government-General Central Research. In 1928, he went back to Japan to be a professor in agriculture department at Tokyo Imperial University. During the forty years from 1909 when Kanehira came to Taiwan until his death in 1948, he spent twenty years in colonial Taiwan and held an important position in Taiwan Forest Research Institution for about ten years. His research and position influenced Modern Taiwan Forestry’s development, which means he was an important helmsman in foresty development in colonial Taiwan. In his forty years of forestry achievements, there are two important peaks. One was when he became a leader of forestry experiment station in April 1920. He submitted his paper “THE ANATOMY STUDY OF FORMOSAN TREES” in English to the agriculture department at Tokyo Imperial University, and passed the examination to become the first doctor of forestry in Taiwan. The other was finishing “FLORA MICRONESICA” in 1933. After three years, the Japan Agriculture Association respected his lofty achievement and awarded Kanehira Ryôzô the award of the highest Japanese agronomy honor when he was a professor of agriculture department at Kyushu Imperial University. This steadies his highest position in modern Japan tropical forestry. In short, in twelve years after Kanehira Ryôzô came to Taiwan, he engaged in forest research in Taiwan and became a forestry expert. After another twenty years of accumulation of learning, he finally became the authority of modern Japanese tropical forestry. “Tropical Taiwan” can be a very important forest learning base. His achievements also became very important accomplishment in modern Taiwan foresty development.