Taean County, South Chungcheong, invests 2.6 billion in pine wood nematode disease control.

Taean County in South Chungcheong Province is investing a total of 2.6 billion won to block the spread of pine wood nematode disease, which is showing a nationwide trend of spreading. The pine wood nematode disease invades the trunk through wounds caused by the feeding of vectors such as the northern pine sawyer beetle. Infected trees have their water and nutrient movement cut off, and most of them die within three months. In Taean, the pine wood nematode disease first occurred in 2014. Damage over the past five years totals 2,887 trees, and including trees suspected of infection, the total reaches 200,000 trees. The county plans to switch to other tree species after cutting down pine trees in a total area of 12 hectares in Dalsan-ri, Nam-myeon, and conduct tree injection work in a 158-hectare area in Baekhwasan. They will also remove dead trees and cut down individual trees in all areas where ...