Hajemaeul Chinese Hackberry Tree, Gunsan

Basic information

Designation

Natural Monument No.580

Category

동식물

Designated year

2024

Location

군산시, 전북특별자치도— 전북특별자치도 군산시 옥서면 선연리 산 205

Coordinates

35.897283, 126.625811Kakao address conversion

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

The Chinese hackberry tree (Celtis sinensis) in Hajemaeul Village, Gunsan, is the oldest hackberry tree whose age has been measured by increment borer (생장추), estimated at 537 (±50) years old as of 2020. It stands 20 meters tall—the height of a five-story building—with a trunk circumference at breast height of 7.5 meters. From 3 meters up the trunk, branches spread widely and evenly to the north and south, creating a beautifully balanced form and excellent growing condition. Hajemaeul in Gunsan was originally an island but was transformed into mainland through land reclamation projects in the early 1900s. The village saw the development of a port and railway and flourished, then gradually faded as its residents departed one by one. Through all of these changes spanning more than 500 years, this tree has stood as a witness to everything that happened in the village and remains a precious natural heritage. (*An increment borer is a device used to measure a tree's age—its annual rings—by extracting a wood core and counting the ring marks visible in the sample.)

Location