Gyeonggi Province Moves to Halt Pine Wilt Disease Spread with Drone-Based Aerial Control over 600ha

Gyeonggi Province Implements "Customized Pest Control" for Pine Wilt Disease
Region-Specific Pest Control Strategies Based on Level of Damage
Monitoring Enhanced with Drones... Expansion of Aerial Spraying and Research on RNAi Pest Control Technology

Gyeonggi Province has launched a "customized pest control" effort tailored to the damage situation in each region to prevent the spread of pine wilt disease, which is rapidly expanding due to climate change. The approach includes drone aerial spraying and tree species conversion in areas with severe damage, while preventive tree injections will be expanded in regions where the disease is at risk of spreading.

Gyeonggi Province is implementing "customized drone control" tailored to the damage situation in each region to prevent the spread of pine wilt disease, which is increasing due to climate change. Provided by Gyeonggi Province

On July 30, Gyeonggi Province announced, "We are implementing a wide-area pest control strategy that takes into account the scale of pine wilt disease damage and the characteristics of each region," adding, "We will strengthen monitoring using drones, expand aerial spraying, and develop eco-friendly pest control technologies simultaneously to prevent further spread of damage."

Pine wilt disease is a major forest pest that causes pine trees to wither and die. Recently, due to climate change, the activity period of the pine sawyer beetle, which transmits the disease, has been extended, resulting in increased damage.

According to Gyeonggi Province, the number of cities and counties that reported outbreaks of pine wilt disease increased from 18 in 2022 to 23 this year. The number of infected trees also rose from 59,351 last year to 99,587 this year. Notably, approximately 90% of total damage is concentrated in five cities and counties: Gapyeong, Yangpyeong, Pocheon, Namyangju, and Gwangju.

The province has designated these five cities and counties as "intensive pest control zones," implementing a comprehensive response including the removal of infected trees, tree species conversion, clear-cutting of small areas, and unmanned drone aerial spraying. The goal is to lower the density of infected trees and prevent the disease from spreading to nearby forests.

Yongin, Seongnam, and nine other cities and counties are managed as "spread defense zones." Here, a combined pest control strategy is in place, featuring both preventive tree injections and removal of infected trees, to establish a containment line and prevent further spread of pine wilt disease.

In contrast, seven cities and counties, including Suwon, Gwacheon, and Uiwang, where damage is relatively minor, are focusing on the complete removal of infected trees and preventive injections to establish them as disease-free areas.

This year, drone-based unmanned aerial pest control will be carried out across 6 square kilometers (600 hectares) of forests in Gapyeong, Yangpyeong, Namyangju, and Gwangju. Authorities aim to enhance initial response capabilities by extending treatment even to mountainous areas that are difficult for humans to access.

Gyeonggi Province also plans to strengthen monitoring technologies with drones. By utilizing LiDAR-based autonomous drone technology currently being developed by the National Institute of Forest Science, it is expected that suspected infected trees can be rapidly identified through aerial imaging, and pest control priorities can be set by linking with GPS-based spatial data.

Development of eco-friendly pest control technology is also underway. The Gyeonggi Forest Environment Research Institute is conducting research on RNA interference (RNAi) technology that suppresses the expression of specific genes in the pine sawyer beetle, the vector of pine wilt disease, thereby reducing its survival rate. After verifying field applicability, the plan is to utilize this as a new eco-friendly pest control method.

Ilgon Kim, head of Gyeonggi Province's Forest and Greenery Division, stated, "Due to climate change, the overwintering rate and active period of the pine sawyer beetle are increasing, which is accelerating the spread of pine wilt disease damage. We will do our best to reduce pine wilt disease damage to a manageable level by leveraging advanced technologies such as drones to detect infected trees early and strengthen region-specific customized pest control."

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