Haenam-gun to Lift Ban on Export of Pine Species in Designated Areas

Zero Occurrence of Pine Wilt Disease for Over One Year

Haenam-gun Office Building Exterior (Photo by Haenam-gun)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun] Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do, has succeeded in controlling pine wilt disease over the past year and is preparing to lift the pine tree export ban zone starting in April.

According to Haenam-gun on the 22nd, in 2019, pine wilt disease occurred in two pine trees in Sanjeong-ri, Songji-myeon, and an export ban zone was designated covering 418.3 hectares across seven villages within a 2 km radius, including Sanjeong-ri, Sojuk-ri, and Mabong-ri in Songji-myeon.

Throughout the year, they have conducted detailed ground inspections, biannual aerial surveillance, operated checkpoints to crack down on unauthorized movement of infected trees, removed 173 damaged trees, and administered preventive injections to 393 trees as part of the control efforts.

The lifting of the pine tree export ban zone follows the pine wilt disease control guidelines, which state that after control measures, if no additional infected trees are found for one year in pine forests and coastal pine forests, or two years in Korean nut pine forests, the export ban zone designation can be lifted.

The county plans to apply to the National Institute of Forest Science to lift the pine tree export ban zone in April, achieving success in preventing the spread of pine wilt disease through thorough control measures just over a year after the initial outbreak.

Pine wilt disease is a forest parasite that invades trees by hitching a ride on vector beetles such as the pine sawyer beetle and the northern sawyer beetle, blocking the water vessels and rapidly killing the tree. It is the most dangerous forest pest affecting pine trees, with no treatment available and a rapid spread rate, making early diagnosis of infected trees critically important.

First detected in Busan in 1988, the disease has caused damage to 17,678 trees across 12 cities and counties in Jeollanam-do.

County Governor Myeong Hyun-gwan expressed gratitude to the residents for their cooperation in restoring the area to a pine wilt disease-free zone, stating, “Starting with the lifting of the pine tree export ban zone, we will devote all efforts to early and thorough diagnosis of infected trees to protect Haenam’s pine forests.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.