Implementation of Wood

Packaging Material

Regulation 

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

and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has

revised its import regulation for solid wood packaging

material (WPM). The revised regulation is consistent

with the International Standards for Phytosanitary

Measures (ISPM): Guidelines for Regulating Wood

Packaging Material in International Trade (ISPM

Publication No. 15) and restricts the importation of

many types of wooden packaging materials, such as

pallets, crates, boxes, and dunnage.

APHIS revised its import regulation in response

to the increase of interceptions of nonnative pests

associated with WPM at U.S. ports of entry. If left

unchecked, pests imported with WPM could cause

significant economic damage to the agricultural and

forest resources of the United States.

The revised WPM regulation became effective

September 16, 2005. The regulation requires WPM

in use in international trade to be treated. The

approved treatments are (1) heat treatment to a minimum wood core temperature of 56 oC for a minimum

of 30 minutes or (2) fumigation with methyl bromide

(MB).

WPM also must be marked with the International

Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) logo and the twoletter International Organization for Standardization

(ISO) code for the country that treated the WPM.

Additionally, WPM must be marked with a unique

number assigned by the exporting country’s national

plant protection organization to the treatment facility

and either the abbreviation HT (heat treatment) or

MB (methyl bromide). Paper certifications (treatment

certificates) are no longer required or accepted in lieu

of the IPPC logo.

Exemptions From New Requirements

WPM made entirely of manufactured wood material (e.g., particleboard, plywood, oriented strandboard), wine and whiskey barrels, and WPM with a

thickness of 6 mm or less are exempt from the treatment and marking requirements. WPM of Canadian

origin is also exempt from the treatment and marking

requirements (7 CFR 319.40–3).

Three-Phase Enforcement Plan

Enforcement of the new WPM regulation is being

handled in a three-phase approach, in coordination

with not only the U.S. Department of Homeland

Security’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) but

also with APHIS’ plant protection organization counterparts in Canada and Mexico.

Phase one of the enforcement plan began

September 16, 2005, and continues through January

31, 2006. For the duration of this phase of enhanced

compliance, CBP will provide importers with official

documentation when the shipments are determined

"not compliant" during routine port-of-entry inspections. APHIS receives information on any ISPM 15-

marked shipments found to contain timber pests and

follows up with the affected country's plant protection

organization.

The second phase of enforcement actions begins

February 1, 2006, and continues through July 4,

2006. During this phase, APHIS and CBP will

require all commodity imports with WPM consisting of

pallets and crates entering or transiting the United

States to be compliant with the ISPM 15 treatment

and marking standard. WPM that does not meet the

ISPM 15 standard will not be allowed to enter into the

United States and will be reexported.

Shipments containing packing material that is in

violation of the rule may be allowed entry only if the

CBP Port Director determines that it is possible to

separate the approved material from the noncompliant portion of the shipment. Arrangements to have

the noncompliant WPM exported from the United

States would be required before any reworked cargo

can be released to the consignee. All costs associated with this process are the responsibility of the

importer.

During the second phase of the enforcement,

CBP will continue to inform noncompliant importers

that use intact, whole, or solid wood as dunnage of

their obligation to use ISPM15-compliant wood in

association with their blocked or braced cargos.

Phase three of the enforcement plan begins July

5, 2006. At that time, all WPM entering or transiting

through the United States must meet the ISPM 15

standard and be free of timber pests. The North

American Plant Protection Organization has trilaterally agreed to this phased-in enforcement plan to regulate the movement of WPM into or through the United

States, Canada, and Mexico.

Factsheet

Plant Protection and Quarantine December 2005

APHIS
Noncompliance with the ISPM 15 standard will

create considerable hardship for importers moving

cargo into the United States. To avoid delays and

rejection of cargo commodities entering or transiting

through the United States, USDA strongly recommends that all importers utilize only ISPM 15-

approved WPM or seek alternatives to regulated

WPM.

Additional Information

For more information on the WPM regulation,

please visit this Web site:

<www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/wpm/import.html>.

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