Chollipo Arboretum is located in the Republic of Korea at 36°46′ north latitude and 126°08′east longitude. It is 160 acres in area and sits directly on the Yellow Sea or as Koreans now prefer to call it, the West Sea, since the sea is yellow on the Chinese side but quite blue on the Korean.). The elevations range from sea level to 129 meters. Chollipo means the 'beach 1,000 ri long', a slight exaggeration since 1,000 ri is 400 km (250 miles) and Chollipo beach is only about 1.6 km (one mile) long. It is located 190 km (120 miles) southwest of Seoul, a 3-4 hour ride if one is optimistic. Chollipo itself is a fishing and farming village with a small population, most of whose 500 inhabitants live on the seaward side of the hills in the area where the Arboretum is located.

   The soil varies from pure sand through decomposed granite and hard clay to good loam, the last in fairly limited supply, while poor drainage presents a problem in several areas. Much progress, however, is being made in improving the soil and drainage. Abundant good quality peat was found abundantly in one area in the course of digging a pond for water storage, since there are no natural all-weather watercourses or bodies of water on the property. Natural regeneration is also doing its work parallel with soil erosion prevention work and good composting practices. In the forested areas natural debris is once again permitted to lie where it falls - not the usual practice since such material is traditionally gathered for fuel.

   Being at the very tip of the Taean Peninsula, the arboretum has the benign climate accorded such locations as well as many microclimates as a result of the undulations of the land itself. The area around the main buildings including the first land acquired, is on a cliff overlooking the sea and an island which is also part of the arboretum. The tides are some of the highest in the world, with a maximum range of over 10 meters (40 feet). At low tide the 12-acre, heavily wooded island, which we named Blue Rock Thrush Island, becomes a peninsula.

   Since the Chollipo climate is moderated by its location beside the sea, areas only a few kilometers inland from the arboretum have considerably harsher climates. Most plants listed as hardy in Zone 8 according to the USDA hardiness scale survive the cold and in favorable pockets some plants rated as Zone 9 thrive, even surviving the winter of 1976-77, which was the worst in the memory of any of the villagers. Conversely, the winters are of sufficient duration and severity for colder climate trees and shrubs to do well, also, the birches being a good example. Meteorological records for the arboretum area itself, simple though they are, have been kept only since 1974. Rainfall comes very unevenly as it does throughout Korea where about half of the annual fall comes between late June and early August. The annual average will probably prove to be in the neighborhood of 1,000 mm (40 inches).

   Normally the temperature in winter does not fall below -10°C although during the very cold 76-77 winter a low of -14.5°C was recorded on 26 December 1976. Data is collected at one of the coldest spots in the Arboretum, some favorable locations being a full 2-3°C warmer throughout the winter. The first frost of autumn usually comes sometime after mid-November and the last around the middle of March. We are not subjected to the extreme temperature changes so common in the Eastern United States and much of Europe. Once spring comes it stays and late frosts have never been a problem for us. Because the rainy season comes at the hottest time of year, the cloud cover and sea proximity keep temperatures well below what might be expected. Temperatures in excess of 30°C, however, do normally occur on at least a few days in July and August. The long, sunny, comparatively dry autumn insures the sufficient hardening of plants before winter sets in. Although Chollipo's climate is generally salubrious it does suffer from strong winter winds and considerable salt spray. Pinus thunbergii and Camellia japonica have proven to be very salt tolerant, which means that protective shelter belts have had to be planted in some areas.