The process of reading cultural context and its symbols in trees can be defined as ‘Ethno-grammar
of Trees’. In traditional society, people have separated living spaces with the concept of households
(Ga-ok), villages, and districts (Go-eul), and planted trees to create meanings with ethno-grammar
of trees in corresponding area.
Today, local governments in cities and provinces across the country designate regional symbols
with animals, trees, and flowers to establish local residents' identity and unification. This article
illustrates symbolic meanings of representative plants, especially trees, in Korean culture by
understanding types and the situations within trees in 276 regional governments during 2009.
Most Koreans favour trees in order of Ginkgo Trees, Pine Trees, and Zelkova Trees. Ginkgo Trees
represent longevity and Confucian tradition, whereas Pine Trees are commonly used as a symbol of
expressing a nation's character or nature. Zelkova Trees, which were placed at the entrance to a
village, have been kept its history of a village and also act as a Shade Tree. Finding ways on how
to manipulate museological applications by cooperating with Museums, Arboretums, Forest Museums,
Eco Parks nationwide can be found in tree research cases from National Folk Museum of Korea.
Trees that act as the regional symbols or religious beliefs often meet its limits using Humanistic
approach only. Also trees cannot be defined just using scientific approach such as Biology, they
represents more than just plants. The research will remain unfinished unless these two academics
work together. Scientific knowledge is required for understanding trees, Humanistic knowledge is
required for understanding of culture on Humans and its culture of trees. A study on trees can meet
its results and depth when Humanistic (Museums) and the Natural Science (Arboretums, Eco Parks,
Forest Museums) work as a convergence-based study.