S. Korea to ban Chilean pine tree imports By Lee Joon-seung

SEOUL, Sept. 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will ban all Chilean radiata pine tree imports from October to prevent a newly discovered virulent plant disease from entering the country, the government said Wednesday.

The National Plant Quarantine Service (NPQS) said the measures are being taken to
protect against phytophthora pinifolia, a disease that destroys pine trees by
drying up roots and leaves. It can be transmitted through soil and water.
"The ban will apply to all types of seedlings, lumber, logs, and planks made from
the pine," said a quarantine service official.
He added that because the disease is not found in South Korea, it could cause
considerable havoc within the country's forests and echo system, and make it hard
to contain its spread.
Planks manufactured from the tree are widely used in South Korea to make of cargo
pallets used to move products in warehouses and shipment containers. Besides
Chilean pine, which makes up the bulk of imports, South Korea also imports
similar trees from Russia and New Zealand.
As of 2007, the country imported 112,000 cubic meters of radiata pines from the
South American country, with 60,000 cubic meters worth of lumber being imported
up till July.
The NPQS, under the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, said
that in the case of planks and logs that have no bark, imports will be permitted
if the wood has undergone a heat or chemical decontamination process that is
verified in export documents.