Successful control of pine wilt disease in Fukiage-hama seacoast pine forest in southwestern Japan

Control efforts against pine wilt disease (PWD) in Japan have not been fruitful on a nationwide scale; on the other hand, there are many successful examples locally. In Fukiage-hama seacoast pine forest, southwestern Japan, a PWD outbreak occurred in 1992, while the conventional control operations had been conducted. The damage area spread widely in 1994 and the main factors for this epidemic were considered to be i) the incomplete eradication of the trees infested by the insect vector, and ii) incompatibility of the timing of aerial spraying of insecticide and the insect emergence time. The improved control operation was performed from the autumn of 1994 and the outbreak subsided by 1997. Lessons from the failure and success of controlling PWD in Fukiage-hama would be useful for other areas to cope with this disease.