On October 26, the China News Service reported that researchers from the Changbai Mountain Forest Industry Group and Long Forestry Company have made a significant discovery in the primeval forests of Changbai Mountain. They found a vast natural community predominantly composed of Northeast red-cedar, which includes ancient trees over a thousand years old.

This remarkable finding was documented on October 25 in Helong, Jilin Province, where several of these ancient Northeast red-cedars were located. The Northeast red-cedar is a rare and endangered species, unique to the northeastern region of China, and has a history dating back 2.5 million years. It has been classified as a national first-level protected plant since 1992.

The ancient tree cluster is situated between 700 to 1,200 meters above sea level in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture of Jilin Province. Within several hundred hectares, the area hosts trees of varying ages—old, middle-aged, young, and seedlings—dominated by middle-aged trees with a diameter of 10 to 40 centimeters, amounting to thousands of individuals.

Of particular note, six of the ancient trees have a trunk diameter exceeding one meter and are over a thousand years old. The presence of a larger proportion of young and newly sprouted trees indicates that this ancient grove is in a growing phase, demonstrating the potential for self-renewal and sustainable development.