Cold comfort farm

The Heilongjiang forest is the largest State-owned forest region in China. Owing to excessive logging and poor management in the late 1980s, almost all forestry enterprises in the region were struck by the crisis of exhausted forest resources and business difficulties.

However, according to a statement released by the Bureau of Heilongjiang Forest Industry, the Chinese government started the Tianbao Project, a program aimed at protecting natural forest resources, in 2002 and, thanks to the government's efforts, 347.42 million cubic meters of timber have been preserved and the plantation has reached 574.78 million cubic meters. Completed artificial afforestation now covers 108,400 hectares.

Forest tourism, the ecological industry, plant breeding, the forest food industry, the pharmaceutical industry and other non-wood businesses make up 78.3 percent of the total revenue of the Bureau of Heilongjiang Forest Industry.

Under the management of the bureau, many original forest regions, such as the Phoenix Mountain of Shanhetun, China's Snow Town of Dahailin, Yabuli Ski Resort, Deer Island of Lake Jingpo and the forest of Yichun have all become well-known tourist destinations.

In 2011, the number of tourists hit 5.2 million, with a year-on-year increase of 40 percent.