Taean-gun, South Chungcheong Province, is launching a tree species conversion project to cut down all pine trees in affected areas and plant new trees in order to prevent pine wilt disease.

With pine trees accounting for 69% of its total forests, Taean-gun has a structure highly vulnerable to the spread of pine wilt disease. From 2024 to recently, approximately 37,000 pine wilt-infected trees have been identified in Taean.

Experts estimate that the actual number of infected trees may exceed 200,000, including latently infected trees that do not show external symptoms.

Concluding that the conventional method of removing individual dead trees is insufficient to block the spread of vector insects, Taean-gun has decided to pursue tree species conversion projects targeting eight major areas, including Museosan Mountain in Taean-eup and Toemasan Mountain in Nam-myeon.

Tree species conversion involves cutting down all pine trees in heavily damaged areas and planting pest-resistant species. Following consultations with the Korea Forest Service and the National Institute of Forest Science, the county plans to select trees that are well-suited to the coastal environment and highly resistant to pests and diseases.

Consent from forest owners is essential for carrying out the project, and subsequent afforestation projects will be fully funded by county subsidies, making them completely free of charge for forest owners.

Taean-gun urged active consent from forest owners, stating, "Leaving infected pine trees unattended causes not only the spread of pests and diseases but also becomes the cause of secondary disasters such as large-scale wildfires and landslides."

(Photo courtesy of Taean-gun, Yonhap News)