The Economic and Ecological Benefits of the Optimal Control Measures for Pine Wood Nematode Disease in Weihai City, China

Pine wilt disease poses a significant threat to forest ecosystems. This study evaluates the efficacy and economic–ecological benefits of its control measures in Weihai City, China, from 2019 to 2022. Employing disaster economics theory and a simultaneous equation model, we analyzed control performance, influencing factors, and optimal strategies, estimating costs and losses under actual, optimal, and no-control scenarios. The results show that the optimal investment is 70.63 CNY per dead tree. Each additional treated hectare averts 119.6 tree deaths, and every 10,000 CNY invested prevents 88.5 mortalities. Economic benefits increased sharply from 2.169 to 94.749 billion CNY, while ecological benefits also grew substantially. However, control inputs in 2019 were insufficient, and subsequent years revealed opportunities for more efficient allocation, despite persistent constraints like limited funding and personnel. We recommend implementing a precision budgeting model with dynamic adjustment model and an integrated township-level management system to optimize control outcomes.