The city of Matsumoto in Nagano Prefecture has been struggling to cope with serious damage to pine trees in its mountain forests caused by pine wilt, the disease seen with infestation by the pinewood nematode parasite that can kill affected trees within a few weeks.
Some local residents have called on the municipal government to continue a program of aerial chemical spraying using unmanned helicopters, but others have questioned its effectiveness and safety.
Unable to view this article?
This could be due to a conflict with your ad-blocking or security software.
Please add japantimes.co.jp and piano.io to your list of allowed sites.
If this does not resolve the issue or you are unable to add the domains to your allowlist, please see out this support page.
We humbly apologize for the inconvenience.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.