Natural Habitat of Chinese Junipers in Tonggumi, Ulleung

The Chinese juniper is found from central Korea southward, as well as on Ulleungdo Island and in Japan; it is also known as sangnamu or nosongnamu. Because of its strong fragrance, it is used as incense burned during ancestral rites, and it is widely planted as an ornamental tree in gardens and parks. Ulleungdo Island was once home to many Chinese junipers, but their numbers have fallen sharply because people cut them down indiscriminately. The trees that remain today grow near cliffs that are difficult for people to reach, most notably at Daepunggam and Tonggumi. The junipers at Daepunggam grow on a wind-battered coastal cliff and so have not been able to grow tall. This site was formerly the location of Ulleung County Office, and it is said that careful management and surveillance there allowed the juniper population to be preserved. The junipers growing in the natural habitat at Daepunggam, Ulleung, have not grown tall because of the sea winds, but having grown for a long time in a special environment isolated from other regions, they provide valuable scholarly material for research into the evolution of the species. For this reason the area has been designated and protected as a natural monument.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Ulleung, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Natural Monument · 천연기념물