National Jangseong Healing Forest

Mount Chukryeong, home to the largest concentration of hinoki cypress forests in Korea, stretches across the border between Jangseong County in the Gwangju-Jeonnam Metropolitan City and Gochang County in North Jeolla Province. Mr. Im Jong-guk, a private forest owner, played a major role in establishing the hinoki cypress forests on Mount Chukryeong. Mr. Im Jong-guk reforested the Chukryeong Mountain area—which had been stripped bare by indiscriminate logging during the Japanese colonial period and damage from the Korean War—by planting 62 hectares of cypress, 143 ha of hinoki cypress, and 55 ha of other tree species—including larch—in the Mount Chukryeong area, which had been stripped bare by indiscriminate logging during the Japanese colonial period and damage from the Korean War. The total number of trees planted amounts to approximately 2.5 million. This was accomplished over a period of 34 years, beginning in 1956. The result is a vast evergreen forest spanning 1,148 ha, densely populated with hinoki cypress and cedar trees aged 40 to 60 years. Currently, the Korea Forest Service has purchased 388 ha of the forest and is conducting ongoing forest management. Within the hinoki cypress forest, 10 km of forest roads have been constructed for forest management purposes, and a “Healing Forest” specializing in hinoki cypress has been established, serving as a recreational space for visitors to enjoy forest bathing, forest experiences, and forest therapy. The Jangseong National Healing Forest (Jangseong Hinoki Cypress Healing Forest) was selected as a “Beautiful Millennium Forest” at the 1st National Beautiful Forest Competition in 2000.

Hours

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Website

www.foresttrip.go.kr