From Asia Pulse, via Yahoo Asia News
With a fatal pine tree disease wreaking havoc on its forests, South Korea has legislated a special law to stem its spread and further damage.
The pine wilt disease, called the "AIDS of pine trees," has mainly affected the southeastern part of the country so far, but it threatens to spread to other regions.
The disease, caused by the pine wood nematode, destroyed nearly 5,000 hectares of pine forests across the nation last year alone, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
Once infected with the pathogen transmitted by sawyer beetles, pine trees wilt and die within months. There is no known cure and prevention is believed to be the best countermeasure.
The anti-pinewood nematode act, which the National Assembly passed Tuesday, bans the shipment of pine trees out of affected areas. Violators will face a fine of 10 million won (US$9,970) fine, up from the current maximum of 2 million won.
Forest owners will be responsible for initially preventing the spread of the disease from their property to other forests.
The disease was first detected in the southeastern port city of Busan in 1988 before it spread further north. It has also been discovered on the country's southernmost island of Jeju.
According to the ministry, 4,961 hectares of forest in South Korea were devastated by the disease in 2004, up 47.3 percent from the previous year. There are currently 44 infected forests nationwide.
Roughly 40 percent of the country's forest areas are covered by pines, making the disease a particular threat to the nation's forestry, the ministry said.
The pine wilt nematode, indigenous to North America, has devastated forests in Japan and parts of China after it was introduced via imports of infected wood products.
