Qiao Changsheng bears witness to Shennongjia’s change from a“timber farm” to a nature reserve.[Photo by Liu Xiangrui/China Daily]

To better preserve the forests, residents were relocated outside the protected areas to more convenient places. Many former lumber workers like Qiao were made forest rangers, who are responsible for protection of forest resources and wildlife in the region.

Qiao explains that it took them a while to adapt to their new roles. When they saw some big trees, they'd still joke with each other about how much they were worth as timber, he says.

"But now as a protector, I regret that so many giant trees were cut down," he says. "What great benefits they could bring to the environment and tourism if they were preserved."

Now Qiao lives in a ranger station with 15 other rangers. Always with a chopper in hand to defend himself from animals and clear the path, Qiao and his colleagues patrol the mountains daily, an area of 8,000 hectares, to prevent fires and illegal felling.

Qiao says it's rough going on the mountain roads, which are prone to falling rocks and other natural hazards. His team members often need to maintain the roads themselves. In winter, they face cold weather and dangers including slippery ground after snowfall.

Qiao earns more than 40,000 yuan ($5,970) every year, including his income from raising bees as a side-line.

He is encouraged by sightings of more wild animals, including rare species like leopard, in recent years.

"The protection work is paying off," Qiao says, adding that local residents who have benefitted greatly from tourism now pay a lot more attention to protection of the environment, too.

Set to retire next year, Qiao says he will miss his job as a ranger.

"I'll probably dream about coming back to the familiar places," he says, smiling.

Luckily Qiao's got a successor in his family. His daughter became a forest ranger in Shennongjia a few years ago. "In fact I supported her decision," says Qiao.

"Now there is less physical labor and the living conditions have improved a lot," he says. In recent years, modern technologies such as GPS tracking and drones are used to help with protection work.