To date, the forest coverage rate has been raised to 67 percent, compared to the 45 percent recorded at the beginning of the 1990s, according to local authorities.

More than 80 percent of the forest is in the young and middle age category, and artificial afforestation has helped to create a forest area of approximately 2,333 hectares, with the main tree species being Pinus yunnanensis, Pinus armandii, spruce and fir.

It is a far cry from the past.

"Local ecological conditions were relatively fragile when I first arrived," He says.

Back in the 1980s, several large-scale logging incidents happened, wreaking havoc on the forest. Worse still, the simple local agricultural produce and low yields forced locals to turn their attention to logging.

As a result, local people suffered from vegetation destruction and the deteriorating ecological environment.

He Jiming, born and bred in Tai'an, says his childhood memories are marked by howling winds and barren mountains.

"The sands would be stirred up once the wind blew, and sometimes, as children, we felt like we were being blown away," recalls He Jiming, who has served on He Wu's team.