In the fall of 1999, the government of the People's Republic of China established requirements concerning the importation of coniferous solid wood packing material. This was in response to China's desire to prevent the introduction of exotic pests, especially the pinewood nematode. APHIS, the US governmental agency charged with implementing these requirements created a certificate to allow the exporter of goods to attest to the fact that coniferous material had been heat treated by being subject to a minimum a core temperature of 56°C for 30 minutes. On December 27, 1999 APHIS published an interim rule requiring the certificate.
We have expanded our manufacturing capabilities with a new wood treatment unit to meet these new customs regulations.
We are a certified manufacturer of new and used crates and pallets bearing WCLB Certification stamps. Raw materials used to manufacture these products have been heat treated by various methods to conform to special shipping regulations. If you plan on shipping overseas, you may be required to use certified shipping crates and pallets.
The EU emergency measures allow three treatment options for coniferous NMWP: heat treatment (HT), fumigation or chemical pressure impregnation (CPI). In all cases treated wood must bear a mark indicating the organization that treated the NMWP and the location of that organization. The EU requires that the HT program be an official program with official marks. The United States has chosen to utilize the heat treated or kiln-dried mitigation option to eliminate this pest on NMWP.
The American Lumber Standard Committee (ALSC), at the request of USDA's Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), has agreed to develop and oversee the United States' program. The program will require on-site inspections of NMWP manufacturing facilities to verify compliance.
On-site inspections will be done by inspection agencies accredited by ALSC. As of August 1, 2001, the American Lumber Standards Committee has accredited organizations* to participate in the HT program. The approved mark for each of these organizations can be found at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/swp/accredited_agencies.pdf
The countries afected by the new regulations are as follows: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxemburg, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Source:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Plant protection and Quarantin |
