Vice Premier Hui Liangyu Tuesday urged efforts to fight pine wood nematode disease, which has caused severe damage to pine forests in several provinces.

Strong measures and more funds must be used to curb the spread of the disease, Hui said.

The disease, also known as pine wood cancer, can quickly kill huge numbers of trees. In China, the disease was first detected in 1982 in eastern Jiangsu Province.

According to a conference in Huangshan City in eastern Anhui Province held by the State Forestry Administration, the disease has spread to 14 provincial regions, killed more than 5 million mu (333,333 hectare) of pine forests and caused huge losses.

Attendees at the conference agreed measures must be taken to stop the spread of the deadly disease by 2010 and reduce the area of affected forests 60 percent by 2030.

(Xinhua News Agency April 22, 2009)