Hongneung Experimental Forest

History of the Hongneung Forest

The Hongneung Forest is acknowledged as ‘the first generation arboretum’ in Korea. It used to be the historic site where the term of ‘Hongneung’ came from. The royal tomb of the Empress Myeong-Seong (1851~1895), the first official wife of the Emperor Gojong (1852~1919), the twenty-sixth king of the Joseon dynasty of Korea, had been here until 1919 when it was relocated to Geumgok, Namyang-ju, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, after the demise of the Emperor. At present, only the traces are left in the Hongneung Forest. Begun as a botanical garden subject to the royal tomb, the Hongneung Forest has been developed to the current forest since 1922 when the Forestry Experimental Station (the predecessor of NIFoS) was founded. In the beginning, the forest was composed of the sections of Willow Garden, Alder Garden, Alpine Plants Garden, Shrubs Garden, and Medicinal Plants Garden. However, most of the areas were destroyed during the Korean War. Since the late of 1960s, with the exception of some plants endemic to North Korea, most domestic and overseas species have been recollected and restored. Now the forest is made up of Conifers Garden, Deciduous Garden, Herbs Garden, Shrubs Garden, Exotic Trees Garden and Medicinal Plants Garden.

Hongneung Forest, Future of the Forest

The Hongneung Forest is an experimental forest established by the Korea Forest Research Institute with the goal of achieving academic development in basic plant science and securing plant genetic resources in a systematic manner of collecting and maintaining a variety of both domestic and overseas plant generic resources. As of 2011, over 20,000 plants of 157 different families and 2,035 species (1,224 woody plants and 811 herbaceous plants) grow in the forest. There are trees of high scientific value as well. In Garden 3 (Deciduous Garden), the type tree of Wild Pear Tree (Pyrus ussuriensis var. seoulensis), endemic to Korea and academically valuable, has been growing since it was firstly found. Also, there are two special mother trees of Eucommia (Eucommia ulmoides Oliv.), reportedly known that all Eucommia trees throughout South Korea are descendents of these two trees. Moreover, some trees endemic to North Korea including East Asian white birch White Birch (Betula platyphylla var. japonica (Miq.) H. Hara) and Korean Spruce (Picea koraiensis Nakai) grow. On weekdays, the forest plays a role as an education center for students from kindergartners to undergraduates. Since 1993, the forest has also been partially open to the public on weekends to raise the public awareness of forest science and environmental education.