|
The Bijarim forest in Jeju has a rich collection of around 2,800 Bija trees of 500 to 800 years old. This forest area in Jeju Island is a unique site in the world with a single species of trees growing so thickly in a particularly region. The evergreen nature of the trees in the Bijarim Forest keeps it dense through out the year. The Bija trees in this forest are usually 7 to 14 meters high with diameters varying between 50 to 110 centimeters. A common belief among the local people is that Bija seeds flown around the region during the rites involving sacrifice to the gods, formed this dense Bijarim forest in Jeju.
An 800 –year old tree stands in the middle of the Bijarim forest. This tree is considered to be the oldest surviving tree on the Jeju-do Island of South Korea. This 25-meter high tree with a girth of 6 meters is well known as the ancestor tree of the Bija trees growing on the island.
This forest has a rare collection of orchids and numerous parasitic plants.
The woods of the plants grown in the forest are of top-class quality. These woods are usually used for making world-class furniture and checker boards stuffs.
Fruits obtained from the Bijarim forest are of great medicinal importance and also used as food.
It is around the month of April that the trees in Bijarim forest are in full bloom and the fruits ripen during autumn. Following the identification of the Bija tree as Natural Monument No.374, this dense forest in Jeju Island has attracted a great deal of attention from forest lovers across the world. Contact details of Bijarim Forest in Jeju are given below:
Address: Bijarim Forest
Pyeongdae-ri, Gujwa-eup, Bukjeju-gun, Jeju-do, [695-804], KOREA 3159-4 Phone number: +82-64-783-3857
Email address: webmaster@mail.bukjeju.go.kr Admission structure of the Bijarim Forest is as follows: 1,600 won for generals; 1,300 won for groups
880 won for adolescents; 660 won for groups
880 won for military and police; 660 won for groups
880 won for kids; 660 won for groups No admission is charged for senior citizens.
|
