Work

The Economic and Ecological Benefits of the Optimal Control Measures for Pine Wood Nematode Disease in Weihai City, China

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Pine wilt disease poses a significant threat to forest ecosystems. This study evaluates the efficacy and economic–ecological benefits of its control measures in Weihai City, China, from 2019 to 2022. Employing disaster economics theory and a simultaneous equation model, we analyzed control performance, influencing factors, and optimal strategies, estimating costs and losses under actual, optimal, and no-control scenarios. The results show that the optimal investment is 70.63 CNY per dead tree. Each additional treated hectare averts 119.6 tree deaths, and every 10,000 CNY invested prevents 88.5 mortalities. Economic benefits increased sharply from 2.169 to 94.749 billion CNY, while ecological benefits also grew substantially. However, control inputs in 2019 were insufficient, and subsequent years revealed opportunities for more efficient allocation, despite persistent constraints like limited funding and personnel. We recommend implementing a precision budgeting model with dynamic adjustment model and an integrated township-level management system to optimize control outcomes.

Source: Forests

DOI: 10.3390/f17020262

Authors: Qi Cai, Junhua Chen, Lina Jiang, Ning Ding, Tong Liu, Ming Yuan

Institutions: Chinese Academy of Forestry, Institute of Forest Resource Information Techniques, Beijing Forestry University

Language: English

Topic: Forest Insect Ecology and Management

Subfield: Ecology

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Life on land

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137