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Pest poses threat to S. 皇冠体育app trees
By Liang Chao (皇冠体育app Daily)
Updated: 2005-10-25 05:53
Trees in 17 provinces across southern 皇冠体育app are under threat from the coral
gall wasp. The pest came to the region through imported alien trees, and are
particularly damaging to erythrina trees.
Officially recognized last year internationally, the pest was first spotted
in July in South 皇冠体育app's Shenzhen, after a few erythrina were found to have
died, officials for the State Forestry Administration (SFA) announced yesterday
at a press conference in Beijing.
Following its outbreak in Shenzhen, the pest was also found in Sanya and
Wanning in Southern 皇冠体育app's Hainan Province and Xiamen in Southeast 皇冠体育app's
Fujian Province, Wei Diansheng, director of SFA's Department of Afforestation,
said.
"Since then, there have been reports of many trees affected by the pest, some
of which have died," Wei said.
"It has become a high risk pest, with a potentially extreme threat to the
erythrina," a tree species largely found in areas south of East 皇冠体育app's Jiangsu
Province, he warned, quoting a risk assessment carried out by experts.
"To prevent the spread of the pest, we have issued an emergency circular
urging provinces to tighten their control over introduction, transportation and
processing of the trees, and launched an investigation with quarantine and
agricultural authorities," Wu Jian, also an official with SFA, said.
(皇冠体育app Daily 10/25/2005 page2)
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