[Ko Gyu-hong's Trees and People] Life That Becomes More Beautiful with Age, Only Trees

<6> Living a Long Life

"Living a long life" has been the wish of all living beings throughout the 3 billion years of life on Earth. With the advancement of modern science, humans are approaching the threshold of significantly extending lifespan.

However, even modern science, which has extended lifespan, has not been able to effectively prevent aging. As the elderly population increases, so do age-related diseases, which is inevitable. This is why, in relation to COVID-19, the elderly are classified as a higher risk group than those with underlying conditions.

Ultimately, what is more desperately needed than "living a long life" is "living a long life healthily without aging." This is why we find ourselves looking once more at trees, living beings that become more beautiful as they age. Trees that live for a thousand years not only become more beautiful as they age but also become sturdier. It is true that an old zelkova tree that has lived for many years looks more beautiful and healthier than a young one.

We often see young trees growing rapidly with irregular branches that lack balance. Trees achieve beauty through the power of time. The wind brushing past the tree trims the wildly growing branches, and sunlight helps the less developed branches grow faster, balancing the tree’s body. This is the beauty nurtured gently by time. Undoubtedly, trees are the only living beings in the world that become more beautiful as they age.

How long has the oldest tree in Korea lived? Does it still maintain its beauty? Korea’s longest-living tree is the "Jeongseon Duuibong Yew." It is an ancient giant tree located at an altitude of 1,466 meters on Duuibong Peak, which spans Sabuk-eup in Jeongseon and Jungdong-myeon in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province. Although Duuibong is called a "peak" rather than a "mountain" because it is overshadowed by the grandeur of Taebaeksan and Hambaksan, it is a famous mountain in the Baekdudaegan mountain range.

The Jeongseon Duuibong yews stand near the northern slope of Duuibong Peak at 1,340 meters, with three trees spaced about 30 meters apart. This tree, considered the progenitor of the yew colony nearby, has lived for an astonishing 1,400 years. Around 600 AD, when the Silla monk Jajang Yulsa was exploring temple sites in the Jeongseon area beyond Taebaeksan, this tree sprouted. By the time Jang Bogo of Silla was fortifying maritime defense with the establishment of Cheonghaejin, the tree was already over 200 years old. The "Jeongseon Arirang," said to have been first sung by scholars crossing Duuibong Pass lamenting the fall of Goryeo, echoed over the mountains around the founding of the Joseon Dynasty, when the Jeongseon Duuibong yew was the oldest giant tree in Joseon, over 800 years old.

The first tree among the three Juwok trees of Jeongseon Duwibong that you encounter when climbing the mountain.

Three 1,400-Year-Old Jeongseon 'Duuibong Yews'
Located 30m Apart at 1,340m Altitude... Korea’s Oldest Trees, Designated Natural Monument in 2002
Among the Three, the Second Oldest Tree... Resembles a Dragon Rising to the Sky

It is difficult to find old trees in forests where trees must live closely together because it is hard to secure a certain area to spread branches widely. When the living space is narrow, trees often break under stress and die early. This is why the average lifespan of trees growing deep in forests is about 200 years.

However, yews, which grow slowly, are better able to endure growth stress. The special conditions that allowed the three Jeongseon Duuibong yews to survive as the oldest trees are due to this advantage.

The Jeongseon Duuibong yews, which have silently endured the passage of time, went unnoticed by people for a long time. Even when passersby saw them, they did not recognize the significance of the yews’ slow growth, so their value remained unknown. They were not even designated as protected trees by the Korea Forest Service.

In the late 1990s, the Korea Forest Service’s Eastern Regional Forest Service recognized the value of these trees. After a detailed investigation, the Korea Forest Research Institute concluded that the three yews were the oldest trees in Korea. Subsequently, on June 29, 2002, the Cultural Heritage Administration designated the three yews collectively as Natural Monument No. 433. This was a great achievement that rewrote the history of yews and trees in Korea.

Among the three yews, the oldest is the one standing in the middle, which has lived for 1,400 years. It is the oldest tree in Korea. The other two yews standing above and below the oldest one appear similar in age and size at first glance. They just look like huge trees standing atop a mountain. But upon closer inspection, one can notice that the two trees are slightly younger than the middle one.

The Forest Research Institute estimated that the lower tree is about 1,100 years old, and the upper tree about 1,200 years old. Though the difference seems slight, it is a long span of 300 years.

The trunk of the 1,400-year-old yew twists and coils slightly as it soars skyward. The middle part has long since rotted, creating a large hollow. The traces of surgical repair to fill this hollow are clear. It resembles a thousand-year-old serpent or a dragon ascending to the heavens.

The circumference of the trunk, which has endured the ravages of time and pierced wounds while sustaining life, is 4.36 meters. This is quite thick for a yew. The trunk splits into two at about 7 meters high. One of these branches reaches into the air and splits again, extending three large branches that spread widely. The tree rises up to 17 meters, refining the unique beauty of the yew. Having withstood fierce rain, wind, and snowstorms on the mountain peak, it has become the most beautiful and healthiest yew.

Nearby Japan also has ancient trees revered as sacred. One such tree is said by the Japanese to have lived for an astonishing 7,200 years. It is called "Jomon Sugi," named after the Jomon period of prehistoric Japan, as it has stood since that era. The Jomon period spans from 13,000 BC to 300 BC.

The "Jomon Cedar" stands like a myth near the summit of Mount Miyanoura on Yakushima Island, a beautiful island that served as the backdrop for Hayao Miyazaki’s animation "Princess Mononoke" (1997).

The Jomon Sugi cedar tree on Yakushima Island, Japan, which Japanese people say has lived for 7,200 years.

Japan’s Jomon Cedar Said to be 7,200 Years Old
Dendrochronology Confirms 2,170 Years... Setting of Japanese Animation 'Princess Mononoke'
Near the Summit of Yakushima’s Mount Miyanoura... A Mythical Symbol Supporting Japan’s History and Culture

The tree, long revered by the Japanese as sacred, still maintains its beautiful form under strict protection. An information board outside the protective fence states its age as 7,200 years, height as 26 meters, and trunk circumference as 16 meters.

The tree stands at an altitude of 3,000 meters. Despite the difficulty of the climb, tourists, including many Japanese visitors, continue to come to see the tree in person. It is a beautiful tree worth the effort to visit at least once.

The size of the Jomon Cedar is relatively small compared to its age. Although its trunk is thick relative to its height, it does not seem to contain 7,200 growth rings. There are many trees in Korea of similar size. Some have grown over 30 meters in about 700 years, not 7,000. Therefore, scientists used advanced modern scientific methods to measure it. The investigation confirmed 2,170 years of growth rings. This refers only to the rings that can be measured. No more precise age has been announced.

There is a reason for this. In botany, the outer living part of the trunk is called "sapwood," while the inner part is called "heartwood." Growth rings accumulate in the heartwood, which is dead tissue and naturally decays. Therefore, old growth rings cannot be confirmed. For this reason, biologists say that the biological age of trees over about 400 years is meaningless.

Now, the scientific community refers to the Jomon Cedar not as a "7,200-year-old mythical tree" but as a tree that has lived more than 2,170 years. Its exact age is unknown, but it remains a symbolic myth supporting Japan’s culture and history. For the Japanese, it is undoubtedly the most beautiful tree in the world.

For humans who rarely live beyond 100 years, the lifespan of trees is an unfathomably long time. It cannot be felt beyond the numbers. Whether 1,400 or 7,200 years old, ancient trees appear so beautiful because they silently endure all the trials and pains time brings, standing tall in one place.

Ko Gyu-hong, Tree Columnist

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.