Following the large-scale wildfires that swept across the country on March 22, the national wildfire disaster alert level was raised to “serious.” The fires damaged not only the forests but also residential areas, with a total of 48,000 hectares—equivalent to 80% of Seoul’s area—damaged by March 30. More than 3,000 homes were lost, and systematic restoration of displaced residents and damaged forest ecosystems was urgently needed.

In response, the SNU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' Department of Forest Sciences is organizing a fundraising event titled ‘FO:RESTORE’ to support wildfire recovery efforts.

‘FO:RESTORE’ Fundraising Event for Forest Fire Recovery
Planned and led by Kim Dong-hyun, a senior in the Department of Forest Environmental Science, the title FO:RESTORE combines the words Forest, Restore, and Store, symbolizing “a green store that restores the forest.” This fundraising event aims to collect donations through sales and contribute the full amount to recovery efforts.

The event will take place over two days—Thursday, April 10 and Friday, April 11—at designated booths within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Seoul National University, from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

Items for sale include forest-themed merchandise and photos taken by students and staff, featuring forests, trees, and flowers. The event will also offer a DIY “plant kit” that lets visitors make plant accessories using natural materials. A flea market will also be held, with students selling secondhand goods, and donations will be collected on-site.

All Funds Donated to ‘Forest for Life’
All proceeds from the event will be donated to support wildfire recovery. The donations will go to Forest for Life (https://forest.or.kr/), a nonprofit civic organization dedicated to forest conservation through urban forest creation, community forest initiatives, reforestation, and restoration projects. More information is available on their official website.

Kim Dong-hyun expressed his hopes that “each student’s small action will lead to big changes,” and added, “We hope many students will participate in this event, which the planning team has prepared with great dedication in a short time.”

interviewed by Cals Press 21st 이효선 and 22nd 최수인
translated by Cals Press 22nd Ye Jin Lee (department of applied biology and chemistry)