Daegu, Gyeongnam, and Gyeongbuk Designated as 'Special Control Zones' for Pine Wilt Disease with Tree Species Conversion

The Korea Forest Service is promoting species conversion in special control zones for pine wilt disease.

On the 21st, the Korea Forest Service announced that it recently held a joint pine wilt disease control countermeasure meeting for severely affected areas, chaired by the Forest Service Commissioner, where it decided to promote support for control costs and afforestation expenses in special control zones, as well as extend the control period for species conversion.

The appearance after the species was changed to larch in the pine wilt disease-affected area in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province. Provided by the Korea Forest Service

Earlier in January this year, areas such as Dalseong in Daegu, Andong, Pohang, Goryeong, Seongju in Gyeongbuk, and Miryang in Gyeongnam were designated as special control zones. These severely affected areas, including special control zones, are characterized by a high density of pine species and a wide range of damage, with repeated damage occurring every year.

The Korea Forest Service plans to promote mixed forests by thinning pine species and applying preventive tree injections, focusing on these areas, and restore forest health through species conversion in damaged areas.

To this end, the Korea Forest Service will extend the control period for damaged trees in special control zones from the end of March to May, and support control costs and afforestation expenses to promote species conversion.

Additionally, the Korea Forest Service’s Forest Disaster Emergency Response Team and the Pine Wilt Disease Center of the Korea Forestry Promotion Institute will assign specialized personnel to six cities and counties in the special control zones to strengthen technical guidance and support for improving control quality until May.

Measures will also be promoted to impose disadvantages, such as exclusion from future projects, on construction companies with poor control quality.

Nam Seong-hyun, Commissioner of the Korea Forest Service, said, “In severely affected areas of pine wilt disease, the top priority is to create healthy forests through species conversion and promotion of mixed forests,” and added, “We ask for active cooperation and participation from local governments and forest owners to minimize damage from pine wilt disease.”

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