Galjeonri Dang Forest, Samcheok

Basic information

Designation

Natural Monument No.272

Category

동식물

Designated year

1982

Location

삼척시, 강원특별자치도— 강원 삼척시 하장면 갈전리 415-1번지 3필

Coordinates

37.380920, 128.894524

This English description was machine-translated and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the original Korean text for details.

Zelkova is distributed in Korea, Japan, and China. It is cold-hardy, vigorous, and fast-growing. Its flowers bloom in March, and its fruit resembles thin coins used in ancient times, hence called 'yuyeon' (elm coin) or 'yuhyepjeon' (elm pod coin). The Samcheok Galjeon-ri Zelkova is estimated to be approximately 400 years old (as of the designation date) with a height of 20.5 m and a circumference of 3.73 m. Every year, gray herons visit this tree to breed, so the village people believe it to be a sacred tree that protects and guards the village, and they perform ancestral rites every lunar New Year (the 15th day of the first lunar month). According to local tradition, the ancestor of the Nam family of Galjeon settled in this area and planted this zelkova tree. The Samcheok Galjeon-ri Sacred Grove (Dangsum) has high cultural and biological value as it has survived for generations under the care and attention of village people, and is designated and protected as a Natural Monument. *Natural Heritage Name Change: Changed from 'Samcheok Galjeon-ri Zelkova' to 'Samcheok Galjeon-ri Sacred Grove' (promulgated 2012.10.10). Around the Natural Monument, a shrine (seonghuang-dang), protected trees such as sawtooth oak and Alstonia scholaris, and other vegetation form groves. As a village sacred grove with historical significance, the designation name was changed to protect and manage the entire grove.

Location