USDA Suspends

Importation of

Manufactured Wood

Items from China

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal

and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), beginning April 1, 2005, will suspend the importation of

craft items from China that contain wooden logs,

limbs, branches, or twigs greater than 1 centimeter in

diameter and with intact bark. Manufactured wood

items that have been heat treated or fumigated with

methyl bromide and have had 100 percent of the

bark removed are not subject to the import 

suspension.

The following are a series of frequently asked

questions to assist importers and exporters in 

determining whether their products are subject to the

import suspension. APHIS, Plant Protection and

Quarantine (PPQ) officials cannot make

case–by–case determinations based either on 

photographs, or oral or written descriptions of a 

product’s regulatory status.

Q. What wooden products from China are subject

to the import suspension?

A. Manufactured wood items made from wooden

logs, limbs, branches, or twigs greater than 

1 centimeter in diameter and with intact bark, arriving

in the United States after April 1, 2005, are subject to

the suspension. The importer or exporter should 

follow the aforementioned guidelines to determine a

product’s applicability to the suspension.

Q. The import suspension applies to bark–covered wooden logs greater than 1 centimeter in

diameter. Would wooden logs with a diameter

less than 1 centimeter be eligible for import with

or without bark?

A. Manufactured items that contain bark and are

less than 1 centimeter in diameter will be subject to

inspection. If insects are found, the appropriate quarantine actions will be taken.

Q. Can specific manufactured wood items 

continue to be imported from China?

A. Yes. Plastic craft items and items made of

debarked wood that have been heat treated or fumigated may continue to be imported from China.

Q. Can pine cones, bamboo, and grapevine be

imported from China?

A. Pine cones, bamboo, and grapevine are eligible

for import into the United States from China provided

they meet all entry requirements and are found free

of plant pests.

Q. What is the definition of debarked wood?

A. For manufactured wood items from China to be

eligible for import they must be debarked in accordance with 7 CFR 319.40-7(b), which requires that

100 percent of the bark be removed. Debarked wood

is commonly referred to as peeled wood.

Q. Where can I find the regulatory provisions for

wood requiring the heat treatment or fumigation

with methyl bromide?

A. The regulatory provisions that specify the 

appropriate treatments for wood and wood products

is found in 7 CFR 319.40-7, paragraphs c through f.

Q. Why is APHIS suspending the import of

non–debarked manufactured wood items from

China?

A. APHIS is suspending the import of manufactured

wood items made from wooden logs, limbs, 

branches, or twigs greater than 1 centimeter in diameter and with intact bark because of their potential to

introduce wood–boring quarantine pests into the

United States from China. In January 2005, APHIS

conducted its fourth recall in a consecutive 6–month

period due to the presence of quarantine pests found

in wooden decorative items imported from China.

Q. What pests is APHIS most concerned about

being introduced into the United States from

China through the import of wooden craft items?

A. The primary insects of concern are Callidiellum

villosulum and Callidiellum rufipenne, also known as

the brown (fir) longhorned beetle and the Japanese

cedar longhorned beetle (which are both related to

the Asian longhorned beetle; currently being eradicated in Chicago and the Metropolitan New York area).

Q. What signs should importers or exporters

look for to determine whether a product is infested by a wood–boring beetle?

A. Importers and exporters concerned about possible infestation of a product should check for exit

holes in the wood and a sawdust–like material called

frass.

Factsheet

Plant Protection and Quarantine March 2005

APHIS
Q. When will the import suspension go into

effect?

A. The import suspension applies to products arriving

in the United States after April 1, 2005. The suspension will remain in place until APHIS is assured mitigation measures are effective to prevent the introduction of quarantine pests into the United States from

China through imported wooden craft items.

Q. If my product enters the United States on or

before April 1, 2005, and travels in bond to 

another port, will it be allowed entry?

A. All shipments must be cleared by April 1, 2005, to

be authorized entry.

Q. Prior to the suspension taking effect on April

1, 2005, what will happen to manufactured wood

items imported from China at ports of entry?

A. Shipments of manufactured wood items imported

from China will be inspected at the port of entry. If

live insects are intercepted, the shipments will be

refused entry.

Q. How can I receive regular updates about

changes in import policies and regulations 

governing manufactured wood items?

A. To receive regular updates via e–mail on amended

import policies and regulations, please subscribe to

the PPQ Stakeholder Registry for the craft industry by

visiting

https://web01.aphis.usda.gov/PPQStakeWeb2.nsf.

Please be sure to update your account if your contact

e–mail, or mailing address change.

APHIS will also update information about these craft

items under the Hot Issues at:

www.aphis.usda.gov

www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq

www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/permits

www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/craft items.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination

in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national

origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to

all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative

means for communication of program information (Braille, large

print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at

(202) 720–2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of

Civil Rights, Room 326–W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence

Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250–9410 or call (202) 720–5964

(voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and

employer.

United States Department of Agriculture • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Safeguarding American Agriculture