On the tallest mountain in South Korea lives a small population of fir trees nicknamed the Christmas Tree Forest. The evergreen conifer looks much like the classic fir that many people worldwide bring into their homes at this time of year—and in fact it’s the species Koreans buy for a live holiday tree.

“Most firs have much longer lifespans and live in much colder climates,” says Kim Chan-soo, a former analyst at the Korea Forest Research Institute. And then there’s the color: “The color is very unique. It’s never completely green because the underside of the needle is white. It feels almost blue somehow.”

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