![From the left: singers Baekhyun, IU, and Lee Chan-won [Photo=INB100, EDAN Entertainment, TN Entertainment]](https://contents-cdn.viewus.co.kr/image/2026/04/CP-2023-0070/image-8180f96a-52b8-4ef2-ba81-8ab334e51c5d.jpeg)
On Arbor Day (April 5), unexpectedly green scenes are popping up across the entertainment world. Beyond the usual glare of stages and spotlights, fans have carved out forests bearing their idols’ names and channeled donations into large-scale tree-planting initiatives. Aju Economy revisits the industry’s growing “green record.”
The most recognizable trend is the fan-created “star forest.” Through the Tree Planet project, fans established Baekhyun Forest in 2014 at Neulbeot Neighborhood Park in Gangnam and created the IU Forest in Yeouido in 2015 to mark her birthday. In 2016, supporters planted the Son Na-eun Forest at Seoul’s Sangam World Cup Park, adding 179 trees — including cornelian cherry, Yoshino cherry and azaleas — alongside 358 flowering plants.
![Group EXO [Photo=SM Entertainment]](https://contents-cdn.viewus.co.kr/image/2026/04/CP-2023-0070/image-06f19a34-74a5-4394-abba-29c0f3a7543d.jpeg)
That momentum didn’t end as a one-off. By May 2017, roughly 100 star forests had been planted nationwide, honoring acts such as TVXQ, EXO and CNBLUE. Fans even developed the Kwon Ji-yong (G-Dragon) Forest around the Jeju Seogwipo Citrus Museum, planting 50 tangerine trees on a 900㎡ (~9,688 sq ft) parcel, and launched a “Girls’ Generation Forest No. 2” project to commemorate the group’s 10th anniversary.
![Group Girls\' Generation [Photo=SM Entertainment]](https://contents-cdn.viewus.co.kr/image/2026/04/CP-2023-0070/image-368dd587-fb0f-4052-95f3-ed2fd9d54065.jpeg)
The practice continues into the present. Melon, the streaming arm of Kakao Entertainment, said its 2024 “Forest;Trimming” initiative yielded BTS Forest No. 3 and Seventeen Forest No. 3, and in 2025 it established (G)I-DLE Forest No. 1 and Lee Chan-won Forest No. 1 at Nanji Hangang Park. In September of that year, Melon also announced plans for aespa Forest No. 1 and Younha Forest No. 1. Arbor Day has thus evolved from a single-day observance into a longer-term, fandom-driven movement.
![Group BTS [Photo=BigHit Music]](https://contents-cdn.viewus.co.kr/image/2026/04/CP-2023-0070/image-35de344f-f0ef-4870-97b9-8e00da481345.jpeg)
![Group aespa [Photo=SM Entertainment]](https://contents-cdn.viewus.co.kr/image/2026/04/CP-2023-0070/image-77dc3010-d715-4971-815e-42177ce27e89.jpeg)
The industry’s green efforts aren’t limited to fandom activity. The Korea Forest Service formed a “Hiking Culture Promotion Group” in 2010, organized around celebrity mountaineering-club members such as Nam Jin, Lee Yong-sik, Lee Bong-won, Kim Jong-kook, Byun Woo-min and Park Sang-min. In 2011 it appointed additional forest goodwill ambassadors, including Kim Byung-man, Jang Yoon-jeong, Maya, Park Sang-chul, Choi Jin-hee, Yoon Hyung-bin, Kim Young-hee and Park Jun-gyu. Earlier, in 2009, actor Kim Chang-suk, singer Kim Jong-hwan and actress Choi Eun-joo joined Yangpyeong County’s “Happy Forest, Forest of Hope” tree-planting ceremony, contributing roughly 200 trees.
Ultimately, Arbor Day looks a little different in show business. Some stars receive a forest instead of birthday gifts; others leave a lasting mark alongside their fans, and some step forward as forest ambassadors. Fan devotion has translated into single trees and, increasingly, whole woodlands. Revisiting these moments on Arbor Day feels quietly uplifting.
