Dodong Forest of Oriental Arborvitae

Character

Dodong’s Oriental arborvitae survive on terrain that was difficult for people to exploit: a steep rocky slope where the trees root directly into cracks in exposed stone. The same physical hardship that limits the forest’s size helped preserve a wild population while easier woodland nearby was repeatedly cut

A 2015 study in the Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science measured an average slope of about 59 degrees and exposed rock across roughly two-thirds of the study plots. The trees are not a planted screen or ornamental grove. They form a naturally occurring community on a cliff above the Bullo stream, mixed with pine, hackberry and other species able to hold the slope

That mattered scientifically as well as visually. Oriental arborvitae had long been associated primarily with China and with cultivated trees around Korean settlements. Wild Korean stands such as Dodong helped establish that the species also occurred naturally on the peninsula, giving this small forest an importance far beyond its footprint

The experience

The protected forest is seen from outside rather than walked through. The main stand occupies the rocky face across the stream, where pale trunks and flattened evergreen sprays emerge from ledges and crevices. The interior is a restricted natural-monument zone, so the visitor experience is one of reading a cliff landscape rather than entering woodland

That distance makes the geology unusually legible. The trees appear where enough soil has collected in cracks, and large stretches of exposed rock remain between them. The same 2015 Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science study found shallow, dry conditions and a strong relationship between the arborvitae and the cliff environment

The roadside viewing area also connects with longer local walking and cycling routes around Dodong and Palgongsan. Those routes add context, but the natural monument itself remains compact: the point is the surviving wild stand on the rock face

History

Botanical interest in the Dodong population grew in the early 20th century, when Korean wild stands challenged the assumption that Oriental arborvitae was naturally Chinese and merely cultivated in Korea

The forest was designated on 7 December 1962 as Natural Monument No. 1. The number reflects the order of designation in the national system, not a ranking of importance. At the time, the site was known as the Dalseong arborvitae forest because the area belonged to Dalseong County

The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture and Korea Heritage Service records give a simple reason for its survival. Surrounding woodland was heavily cut, while the arborvitae clung to inaccessible rock crevices where felling was difficult. A preservation story that can sound administrative today began with terrain doing much of the protection

Modern conservation has become more active. The stand is a restricted-access area, and a 2026 Yeongnam Ilbo report describes pollution, vehicle exhaust and changing conditions around the cliff as continuing management concerns. Successor trees have also been planted nearby to interpret and support the natural monument without opening the protected slope itself

Before you go

The protected cliff forest is not an ordinary walk-through forest. Public access is oriented around the viewing area, road and adjacent local routes; entry into the protected stand itself requires heritage-management permission for management or research purposes

Daegu’s tourism material lists the site as accessible year-round. Palgong 1 serves Thuja Forest Bus Stop, while the city’s live bus-information system provides current arrival and route details