Pests plagued about 180 million mu (12 million hectares) of woods in China in 2013, up 2.9 percent year on year, the State Forestry Administration said on Thursday.

It attributed the rise to global warming, extreme climate events, and a lack of capabilities to fight the pests.

The administration said it had taken various measures to fight wood-infesting insects and effectively checked the spread of pine wood nematode disease and American white moth.

Meanwhile, the administration aims to plant 90 million mu of new woods this year.