During the 1960–70s, the woods were largely felled and replanted—predominantly with Norway Spruce (Picea abies) and oak, with lesser amounts of Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi) and beech.
Although known and utilized by the Chinese for centuries, the first European to discover Torreya grandis was Robert Fortune, who was searching for seeds while he was hiking in the mountains of NE Zhejiang in search of seeds, particularly those of "golden pine-tree" (Larix kaempferi).