The End of the Christmas Tree?

Pine wilt is caused by the Pinewood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) that blocks the xylem vessels of the tree killing it (http://www.oznet.k-state.edu/hfrr/extensn/problems/pinewilt.htm). This condition was originally found in North American locations but, in the 1970's, it reached Japan where it decimated their pine forests, There have now been reports that the agent reached Portugal in 1999 and wiped out almost 350,000 trees in only 2 years (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/aug/18/conservation/print). The nematode is apparently transmitted in the respiratory system of a flying beetle and people think this species reached Europe in a wooden packing case. The two pine species that are most susceptible are the Maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) that makes up most of Europe's South-west forests (and is used to generate anti-oxidant treatments) and the Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), the good old Christmas tree! Scientists apparently regard the UK as currently too cold to import the disease here.