Hanam City to Prevent Spread of Pine Wilt Disease...Special Crackdown on Unauthorized Movement Until October

Hanam City in Gyeonggi Province announced on May 18 that it will conduct a "Special Crackdown on Unauthorized Movement of Pine Trees" targeting pine-related businesses and households using firewood within the city to prevent the spread of pine wilt disease until October.

Hanam City will conduct a "Special Crackdown on Unauthorized Pine Tree Movement" targeting pine tree handling businesses and households using firewood within the city to prevent the spread of pine wood nematode disease until October. Provided by Hanam City

Pine wilt disease often spreads when infected trees are transported to other regions. In particular, as there have been repeated cases of increased damage due to the unauthorized movement of firewood or timber used for fuel, the city plans to launch an intensive crackdown during the period when vector insects are most active.

According to the results of a survey by the National Institute of Forest Science, approximately 67% of new and recurring cases of pine wilt disease reported in the past three years were caused by human-related movement. In fact, in areas such as Yeongam, Haenam, and Shinan in South Jeolla Province, and Gangneung in Gangwon Province, it is believed that infected trees were introduced through firewood or timber brought from affected regions.

This special crackdown will be conducted for six months, from May 1 to October 31. The targets of the crackdown include businesses and individuals that handle or use pine trees, such as log production, sawmill, and timber import and distribution companies, landscaping businesses, forest management operations, and households using firewood.

Crackdown teams, composed of public officials and members of the Forest Disaster Response Unit, will visit sites to inspect the storage and distribution status of pine logs and firewood. They will also check relevant documents, such as pine tree non-infection certificates and receipts, to verify the origin of the logs, and examine whether there are signs of insect activity in the stored firewood.

Hanam City plans to carry out the crackdown while adhering to relevant procedures, such as providing advance notice of the schedule and details to those subject to inspection.

If any violations are detected, the city will take strict measures in accordance with the Special Act on the Control of Pine Wilt Disease, including imposing fines and penalties, and will also implement follow-up actions such as issuing control orders for unauthorized movement of infected trees.

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