Perspectives on the Current Condition and Landscape Management Status of the Dangsan Forests in Sungnam-ri, Wonju

Rural areas dominate country landscape, where the population is rich in traditional and natural heritage. Dangsan forests and Rural community forests (RCF) have been maintained by local residents for hundreds of years. However, many of these forests have been disturbed, and only small amount of Dangsan forests and the RCF remain due to the efforts of local residents. Recently, the remnants of Dangsan forests and RCF have been regarded as living traditional landscapes representing the cultural and rural background of Korea. But the value of Dangsan forests and the RCFs has not been recognized by many. This study aims to understand the characteristics and management status of Dangsan forests in Sungnam-ri, Wonju. Sungnam-ri has four villages, each of which is bordered by a Dangsan forest at the riparian buffer. Sungnam-ri has been selsected as a site for a rural village development project by the Ministry of Agriculture & Forestry of Korea. Sunghwanglim (the Upper Dangsan forest) is designated as Natural Monument No.93 and entrance is limited in this area. The size of Sunghwanglim is , and the major tree species are Kalopanax pictus (Dangsan tree, Divine tree), Pinus densiflora, Abies holophylla, Acer triflorum, Ulmus davidiana, Fraxinus rhynchophylla and Quercus serrata. In total, 124 trees with more than 40 cm in DBH are at this site. As for cultural activities, the Dangsan festival is held on April 8th and September 9th of the lunar calendar at shrines in the forests. Although other Dangsan forests are smaller than Sunghwanglim, they also have similar cultural activities. The landscape of the Dangsan forests have been managed for several hundred years by the local people, and they intend to continue maintaining the Dangsan forests for the purpose of festivals and other cultural activities. The findings in this study suggest that Dangsan forests have the potential for the development of rural villages and for the improvement of cultural and natural landscapes in Korea.