Director Bae Jae-soo of the National Institute of Forest Science recently told Maeil Business News, "The number of damaged pine trees due to the pine wood nematode began to increase in 2022, reaching about 900,000 trees by last April," and added, "This winter is a critical point to prevent a third major outbreak, and we are gathering our quarantine capabilities more than ever." He has been leading the Forest Science Institute since February last year and has expressed his special affection for pine trees by publishing a book titled 'Koreans and Pine Trees'.
According to him, Korea has experienced two major outbreaks of the pine wood nematode in the past. During the first outbreak in 2007, the number of damaged trees increased to 1.37 million, but through concentrated pest control, it was reduced to 260,000 trees by 2011. However, it surged again to 2.18 million trees in 2014, and it was only in 2021 that it was barely contained at 310,000 trees. Recently, due to abnormal warm winter temperatures, the activity period of the vector insects has increased, leading to a resurgence, particularly in the Gyeongsangdo region, including Pohang and Gyeongju.
The Forest Science Institute, responsible for the technical foundation of pine wood nematode control, is accelerating its 'speed war'. This is because the life cycle from hatching to laying eggs takes only five days, and by the 20th day, a pair can multiply to 200,000 to 300,000 individuals. They have developed a diagnostic kit that can determine infection status within 30 minutes in the field using genetic amplification technology. Previously, it took more than three days to send samples to the primary diagnostic institution for identification.
Director Bae stated, "We are improving the kit to make it easier to use for older users," and added, "It costs around 10,000 won to test a single tree, and we are also working on cost reduction through mass production."
He also testified that forest disasters are increasing due to climate change. Harmful species such as the yellow-spotted longhorn beetle, which used to thrive in subtropical regions like India and Vietnam, and the American white moth from North America are expanding their habitat range in Korea.
Director Bae explained, "Rapid changes in climate conditions also reduce the disease resistance of trees, making them more susceptible to dying even when infected with the same amount of pests," and added, "This is a cause of secondary disasters, including wildfires and landslides." This is also why the Forest Science Institute is developing tree varieties with strong disease resistance. Additionally, aerial spraying of pesticides, which had been suspended due to environmental concerns, is being refined and advanced using drones. Director Bae emphasized, "When the agricultural and forestry satellite is launched in 2025, we will minimize disaster damage through rapid and accurate monitoring and customized pest control strategies using the images from the satellite."
[Reporter Lee Jin-han]
