New Taipei launches platform for reporting brown root rot — Taipei Times

New Taipei’s Agriculture Bureau in Taiwan has launched an online platform for reporting brown root rot in trees. The service allows users to use their phones to identify a tree’s location, upload photographs and report detected signs of the disease, Taipei Times reports.

Map of disease hotspots

Bureau director Chen Shih-hui said that brown root rot is a fungal disease affecting tree roots. It causes the roots and the base of the trunk to rot, increasing the risk of trees falling.

According to him, the disease is difficult to detect at an early stage, is highly contagious and can spread on a large scale. Chen said that prompt reporting and precise removal are important for containing its spread.

Previously, information on such cases was collected mainly during patrols and inspections conducted by staff of district administrations or schools. According to Chen, this approach did not provide a complete picture of the disease’s spread across the city.

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The new platform creates a map of brown root rot hotspots by compiling reports and data from the past five years. It allows users to view detection areas, geographic coordinates, responsible institutions and the review progress of each case.

What signs to look for

Officials named unnatural yellowing or wilting of leaves, as well as a net-like fungal coating near the base of the trunk, among the signs of tree infection. People who notice such symptoms were urged to identify the tree’s location, photograph it and submit the information through the platform.

The reports received are expected to help update data on disease hotspots and identify areas where preventive inspections should be conducted first.