"New Pine Wilt Disease Cases Reported in Daejeon" Korea Forest Service Holds Emergency Meeting with Daejeon City and Ministry of Environment

An outbreak of pine wilt disease was newly reported in Dong-gu, Daejeon, prompting related agencies to hold an emergency countermeasure meeting.

On the 23rd, the Korea Forest Service announced that it held an 'Emergency Central Control Meeting' with Daejeon City, the Ministry of Environment's Geumgang River Basin Environmental Office, and other pest control-related agencies.

In the Chudong area of Dong-gu, Daejeon, where pine wilt disease-infected trees have occurred, officials from the Korea Forest Service and related pest control agencies are holding an urgent pest control countermeasure meeting. Photo by Korea Forest Service

The newly affected area by pine wilt disease is around Chudong in Dong-gu, Daejeon. This area is designated as a water source protection zone owned by the Ministry of Environment and managed by the Geumgang River Basin Environmental Office.

The Pine Wilt Disease Monitoring Center of the Korea Forestry Promotion Institute discovered suspected infected trees in the Chudong area on the 18th, requested diagnosis from the National Institute of Forest Science, and on the following day (the 19th), confirmed that three suspected trees were infected with pine wilt disease.

On the 23rd, more than 40 officials from related agencies including Dong-gu, Daejeon City; Cheongju, Boeun, and Okcheon in Chungbuk; Geumsan in Chungnam; the Ministry of Environment's Geumgang River Basin Environmental Office; and the National Institute of Forest Science held an emergency central control meeting to discuss a joint epidemiological investigation plan to identify the infection route of pine wilt disease.

They also conducted on-site discussions on control measures considering environmental aspects such as the water source protection zone and ways to reduce damage.

Im Sang-seop, Administrator of the Korea Forest Service, stated, “Pine wilt disease requires close cooperation among related agencies to simultaneously implement preventive measures and control projects. The Korea Forest Service will make every effort to prevent the spread of pine wilt disease and additional damage.”