Taipei employs dogs to sniff out tree disease

TAIPEI (TVBS News)—In an innovative approach to urban forestry management, Taipei has deployed detection dogs to sniff out trees infected with brown root rot disease, which threatens pedestrian safety. From 2019 to 2023, approximately 3,800 trees in Taipei were found to be afflicted with the disease. To enhance detection efficiency, trainers began teaching dogs to identify the disease by scent.

A Unique Solution to a Growing Problem

Chi Wen-hao, a trainer of detection dogs, explained that training begins indoors to familiarize the dogs with the scent of brown root rot. Despite outdoor distractions, experienced dogs like "Lucy" (a beagle) can accurately pinpoint affected trees.

Sung Fu-hua, Director of the Floriculture Experiment Center at the Parks and Street Lights Office, Taipei City Government, revealed that among the 200,000 trees in Taipei, the districts of Shilin, Zhongshan, Da'an, and Wenshan are the hardest hit by the disease.

Detection dogs play a crucial role in this battle, inspecting around 8,000 trees annually and identifying 300 to 400 with the disease, contributing to about 30% of the detections.

However, their work is limited to three hours in the cooler mornings due to weather conditions. In 2023, 736 diseased trees were removed thanks to their efforts.

Challenges and Future Prospects
Currently, only one company is training detection dogs, with a success rate of about one in ten. New detection dogs are expected to join the effort by March next year. 

The rigorous selection process requires training from puppyhood and achieving a specific olfactory standard. Brown root rot is difficult to detect and requires soil fumigation upon discovery, so increasing the number of detection dogs and human resources remains a challenge.

This innovative approach not only highlights the unique contributions of detection dogs to urban safety but also underscores the ongoing battle against tree diseases in Taipei.