Pine wilt, a deadly pine disease, has spread to 113 counties in
12 Chinese regions, the State Forestry Administration has said.
Nineteen counties in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi
and Guangdong provinces were newly affected this year, said Cao
Qingyao, the administration's spokesman, on Friday.
The disease has also affected Shandong, Hubei, Hunan, Chongqing,
Guizhou and Yunnan.
The spread of the disease is mainly due to illegal transport of
pine wood from the affected areas to non-affected areas and
processing of such wood in non-affected areas, noted Cao.
The use of packages using improperly-processed pine wood is also
a major factor in the spread of the disease, he said.
The administration urged local authorities to tighten the
control of illegal transport and processing of pine wood from
affected areas.
The pine wilt disease was first found in China in 1982 in
Nanjing, capital city of Jiangsu. It could lead to the destruction
of pine forest.
(Xinhua News Agency August 25, 2007)