Jeonnam-Gwangju Pine Wilt Disease Hits 270,000 Trees... Special Control Zones Planned for Five Localities

Intensive control in Yeosu, Suncheon, Gwangyang, Gwangsan-gu and Jangseong... Expand conversion to other tree species
Establish Forest Disaster Prevention Division; strengthen monitoring and on-site response for integrated control

As the number of dead trees affected by pine wilt disease in the Jeonnam-Gwangju region over the past five years has exceeded 270,000, the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City is moving to designate the five hardest-hit cities, counties and districts as special control zones.

According to data titled "Pine Wilt Disease Cases (2022-2026)" that Gwangju Special City recently provided to The Asia Business Daily, the cumulative number of dead trees affected in the region reached 271,933 from 2022 through May this year.

Gwangju Special City took concrete steps to develop countermeasures by holding a pine wilt disease control meeting on the 23rd at Jeongnamjin Arboretum in Jangheung, with representatives from relevant agencies and forestry organizations in attendance. Provided by Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City.

The annual number of dead trees affected rose from 21,067 in 2022 to 25,662 in 2023. It fell slightly to 22,826 in 2024, but surged again to 47,488 in 2025.

The number of affected trees in 2025 was up 24,662, or 108.0%, from the previous year, more than doubling in a single year.

As of May this year, a total of 154,890 dead trees in the Jeonnam-Gwangju region had been affected. This marked a 226.2% increase from the previous year. The four cities and counties of Yeosu, Suncheon, Gwangyang and Jangseong accounted for 149,581 affected dead trees, or 96.6% of the total annual figures.

As damage from pine wilt disease continues to spread, there is a growing need to move beyond the existing approach of focusing on removing affected trees and instead tailor responses to the level of damage in each area.

In response, Gwangju Special City is pursuing plans to designate the five hardest-hit cities, counties and districts—Yeosu, Suncheon, Gwangyang, Gwangsan-gu and Jangseong—as special control zones.

In areas with concentrated damage, the city plans to expand projects to replace pine forests with other tree species. In areas with relatively less damage, it will apply control methods suited to the extent of the damage, such as clear-cutting small plots.

On the 23rd, Gwangju Special City held a meeting on measures to combat pine wilt disease at Jeongnamjin Arboretum in Jangheung, with relevant agencies and forestry organizations in attendance, and discussed these response plans.

Attendees included officials from Gwangju Special City's Forest and Garden Bureau and the five cities, counties and districts, the Western Regional Forest Service, the Suncheon and Yeongam National Forest Management Offices, the National Forestry Cooperatives Federation, and forestry-related organizations.

Participants shared updates on cases in each area and discussed control measures for the second half of the year, enhanced monitoring, and ways for agencies to work together. Field teams currently face difficulties treating all affected trees because of budget and staffing shortages. Personnel and equipment are concentrated during the control period, and aerial control targeting the Japanese pine sawyer beetle, which carries the disease, has been suspended. These conditions have made responses tailored to the characteristics of damage in each area necessary.

To strengthen its control system, Gwangju Special City will establish a Forest Disaster Prevention Division and, with a four-member team dedicated to pine wilt disease, conduct monitoring, develop control plans and respond in the field. It also plans to share information on damage and control efforts with relevant agencies, including the Korea Forest Service, forestry cooperatives and forestry organizations, and develop a mid- to long-term integrated control strategy.

Kang Shinhee, director of the Forest and Garden Bureau of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, said, "Given the speed at which pine wilt disease spreads, we are having difficulty securing control budgets and personnel. We will do our utmost to stop its spread by designating special control zones and implementing a mid- to long-term integrated control strategy."

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