New cases of the pine wood nematode have been confirmed in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in recent days, specifically in the communes of Orthevielle (Landes) and Lescar (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), according to a statement from the regional prefecture on Friday, September 11. The detections were made through an intensified monitoring program carried out by the Regional Directorate for Food, Agriculture and Forestry (DRAAF). Surveillance areas have been expanded to nearly 140 new communes across the region. In the Landes department, the nematode was found in the commune of Orthevielle, near Peyrehorade, on August 25. Additional infected pines have been identified, expanding the affected area to 170,000 hectares and including 46 new communes—26 in the southern part of the Landes and 20 in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, which borders the Landes. This is the fourth known focus of the nematode in France, following the initial detection in Seignosse in November 2025, and later outbreaks in Angresse in March and Lescar in the Béarn region in July, according to ICI Gascogne. In the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, the nematode was detected in the Lescar area, near Pau, in the eastern part of the department. Analysis confirmed four new positive cases in dying trees reported by private individuals in the communes of Lons, Artix, and Mourenx. These findings led to the establishment of four new infested zones, each with a 500-meter buffer around the infected trees. The Lescar delimited area has now expanded to 216,332 hectares, incorporating 92 additional communes. A new decree from the prefect of Nouvelle-Aquitaine has been issued to adjust the buffer zone boundaries and strictly enforce European regulations on the movement of wood and the felling of dying trees. Ongoing surveys to identify and remove dying pines continue, as reported by the prefecture. Over 8,600 samples have already been analyzed in the Seignosse area alone. The pine wood nematode is a microscopic pest originally from North America that infects certain conifers, especially pines. It causes rapid tree death by blocking the flow of sap and spreads through beetles that move between trees.