Abstract The pine wood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus , is an invasive species causing high pine mortality in invaded areas outside its native range. European Union (EU) regulations stipulate a 500‐m radius clear‐cutting around infested trees to prevent the spread of PWN by the vector beetle Monochamus galloprovincialis , yet this measure is costly and not fully effective. We used an individual‐based model describing the dispersal of the insect vector and its transmission of PWN to compare the cost‐effectiveness of clear‐cutting and selective cutting of only the PWN‐infested trees for three different methods for surveillance: visual ground surveys, aerial surveys and insect trap networks. Both strategies eradicated PWN if intensive aerial surveillance was conducted at a time that all infested trees showed symptoms. Selective cutting reduced costs by up to a factor of 200 compared to clear‐cutting, mainly due to the preservation of healthy trees. Additionally, selective cutting reduces environmental and societal costs. However, eradication is unlikely if symptom expression of infectious trees is incomplete at the time of survey. Policy implications. The results show that selective cutting applied together with modern remote sensing surveillance methods is an environmentally friendly alternative to the mandatory clear‐cutting for PWN control in the EU.
Sun et al. (Sun,) studied this question.