A Break in the Clouds
Then, in 2000, a ten-year Natural Forest Protection project was launched by the State Forestry Bureau with funding by the state treasury of 500 to 700 million yuan. The fund would go into repaying debt, compensating loggers in active service, and enhance sapling cultivation, fire control, and protection in the forests.

Thanks to the project, wage owed to former workers was finally paid, laid-off workers were re-absorbed, and public infrastructure projects saw progress. The Jiagedaqi-Mohe highway and civil engineering projects in Jiagedaqi are the two most frequently mentioned examples.

After the protection project was launched, the local government lowered the yearly output of timber. In 2002, a proposal to develop local special industries was brought forward, including the precise processing of timber products, the exploitation of underground resources, biological pharmacy, biological tourism, and special species breeding.

Mining was later added as another special industry in the local government's 11th "five-year plan", as a variety of resources can be found in the Mountain, including coal, iron, lead, zinc, copper etc. Due to the rich mines and their great reserves, Zuo says mining is likely to lead the Daxing'an area to a new round of economic growth.