What are the latest regions where yew trees are found?

The origins of yew are widely distributed across Lechang in Guangdong, Shaanxi, Hubei, western Anhui, and as far as the Fanjing Mountain and Foding Mountain areas of Tongren City in Guizhou, Sichuan, most of southwestern Chongqing, the Daban Ying primeval forest in Youyang, and southern Gansu.

Apart from one species in Australia found in the Southern Hemisphere, all other yews are found in the Northern Hemisphere. China has 4 species and 1 variety of yew, distributed across most of the country. The Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata) is mainly distributed in the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang area of Jilin Province, with a small amount also found in the mountainous areas of eastern Liaoning. The Yunnan yew (Taxus wallichiana var. yunnanensis) is mainly distributed across 16 counties in western Yunnan and prefectures, with a total area of about 90,000 sq km. It is characterized by wide distribution, scattered growth, no pure forests, and mostly scattered trees within forests. The Chinese yew (Taxus wallichiana var. mairei) is mainly distributed in eastern Yunnan, southwestern Yunnan, and eastern Yunnan pure forests, mostly as scattered trees within forests.

The reason yews met with disaster was that in the early 1990s, an American company discovered that taxol in yew bark has anti-cancer effects. When the news reached China, reached Yunnan, people suddenly realized that treasure was right beside them. People frantically stripped the bark off yews, and no one took the detailed "Yunnan Province Rare Tree Species Protection Regulations" to heart. As a result, more and more yews had their lives cut short overnight.

The State Forestry Administration once issued a clear directive on the "Yew Project" that was carried out: "The yew is a Class I protected tree species in China, with both excellent ecological benefits and extremely high economic value. The state supports vigorous establishment of yew forests within an appropriate scope, and all sectors of society should be encouraged and advocated to participate in afforestation efforts through various forms such as contracting, leasing, auction, and joint-stock cooperation."

Yew Nature Reserves

1. Liangye Mountain National Nature Reserve is China's first national-level yew nature reserve, and also the only national-level nature reserve with the Chinese yew as its protection target.

2. The Muling Japanese Yew Nature Reserve was approved as a national-level nature reserve in 2009. More than 160,000 Japanese yews, known as the "giant panda of the plant kingdom," will receive further effective protection.