Damage from pine wilt nematode increases eightfold due to climate change... Tree species conversion required

The climate itself is changing… Change in tree species and forest management direction

(Jeonnam Gwangju = Yonhap News) Reporter Min Hyun-ki = "One wilt worm can multiply to 200,000 in 10 days, so once it starts to spread, it is difficult to control."

On the afternoon of the 2nd, a mountain in Myeongdo-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, Jeollanam-do, visited by a reporter, looked like a forest that was supposed to be dark green had been burned and burned down here and there.

Next to the trees whose pine needles were drying yellow from the tips, pine trees whose entire crowns had turned red were seen one after another, and trees that had already died were standing bare with only brown leaves hanging down.

It was clearly revealed that the wilt disease was spreading into the forest, with trees from the early stages of infection to those that had died.

Once a pine tree has been invaded by wilt disease, it dries out without time to do anything.

The wilt nematode, which is brought in by a pine-whisker, burrows into the tree and blocks the passage of moisture and nutrients. After infection, there is no suitable treatment method, so the mortality rate is virtually 100%.

As pine wilt nematode damage continues in the Gwangju area of ​​Jeollanam-do, local governments and forestry authorities are making all-out efforts to control the disease.

Infected trees are treated by breaking them into small pieces or covering them with chemicals, and nearby pine trees are vaccinated to prevent the wilt disease from spreading further.

During the period when pine-whiskers are active outside, efforts were made to reduce insect vectors by spraying chemicals using drones and helicopters or installing baited traps.

However, the mountain terrain is rough, so crushing equipment cannot enter, and even if only one cut branch remains, the wilts that overwintered in it are spreading the wilt worm again.

We tried to use aerial pest control, but it is difficult to actively use it in the field as damage from other insects such as bees occurs.

An official from the Jeollanam-do Gwangju Integrated Special City Forest Research Institute analyzed, "Recently, the growth conditions for pine trees have worsened due to rising temperatures and decreased rainfall, but a favorable environment has been created for the pine beard."

Damage from wilt disease in Gwangju, Jeollanam-do has increased more than eightfold in the past three years.

The scale of damage increased from 62,000 trees in 2024 to 150,000 trees last year and to 519,000 trees as of last month this year.

In three years, the scale of damage increased 8.3 times, and the area affected also expanded from 15 cities, counties, and districts to 22.

The scope of damage is also expanding, with wilt disease reoccurring in Shinan, Gurye, Haenam, and Yeongam, which were previously clean areas.

Experts advise that climate change is the cause and that we need to change the direction of forest management, such as switching tree species in affected areas.

Hong Seok-hwan, a professor of landscape architecture at Pusan ​​National University, said on the 5th, "The control of wilt disease was a complete failure when looking at the results compared to the budget invested. As climate change has made it difficult for pine trees to survive anymore, we need to consider changing tree species to broad-leaved trees."