How 합천군 is Combatting Pine Wilt Disease in 2026: Key Strategies Revealed

[Joynews24 Reporter Kim Yang-su] The Korea Forest Service (Administrator Park Eun-sik) said on March 10 that it held the Hapcheon County Regional Control Governance meeting at the Hapcheon County Agricultural Technology Center in Gyeongsangnam-do to develop strategies to prevent the introduction and spread of pine wilt disease (pinewood nematode).

Hapcheon County borders Changnyeong and Goryeong counties, which have suffered severe damage from the pinewood nematode, so preventing further spread into Hapcheon is a top priority. The county has designated intensive thinning and preventive trunk injections as its core control measures.

Hapcheon’s strategy aims to lower the risk of spread by improving habitat conditions for vector insects through intensive thinning and by removing trees that pose a high infection risk in advance. At the same time, preventive trunk injections will be carried out in areas most at risk to preserve and protect forest resources.

The meeting brought together local residents, experts, the media and related agencies, including the national park service, to share the 2026 pinewood nematode control plan and to discuss how to build an effective public–private cooperative control system.

Lee Hong-dae, head of the Forest Pest and Disease Division at the Korea Forest Service, said, "Pinewood nematode disease requires coordinated responses with neighboring areas. Through a proactive control strategy centered on intensive thinning and preventive trunk injections, we will continue to provide active support, including surveillance, to halt the spread and protect healthy forests."