### United States

Department of Agriculture
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service June 2011 Analysis in Support of Certification that the

Rule will not have a Significant Economic Impact on a Substantial Number of Small Entities

Interim Rule 2011 - 0029

Expansion of European Larch Canker Quarantine

Policy & Program Development Policy Analysis & Development0

Summary Maine has expanded its intrastate European Larch Canker (ELC) quarantine to include the townships of Beddington, Boothbay, South Bristol, T24 Middle Division Bingham's
Penobscot Purchase (T24 MD BPP), and T25 Middle Division Bingham's Penobscot Purchase (T25 MD BPP). These townships are quarantined either because they have been found to be infested with ELC or because they provide a buffer area between inf ested and uninfested townships. APHIS is expand ing the ELC federally regulated area to include these additional townships

. This interim rule will also correct certain misidentifications of previously listed regulated areas. The only small entities in the newly quarantined townships tha t may be affected are forestry operations . The annual number of the se operations in the five townships ha s ranged between 8 and 18 over the past 5 years. It is estimated that the annual value of harvested larch
sold from the newly quarantined areas avera ge s about $ 375

. Any potential impact of the rule is further minimized by the opportunity for forestry operations to enter into compliance agreements with lumber mills to process larch from quarantined areas. Based on this information, this interim rule will not have a significant economic impact
on a substantial number of small entities.1



### Introduction
The European larch canker (ELC) ( Lachnellula willkommii ) is a plant disease that kills
mature and immatu re trees of the Larix (Larch) and Psuedolarix (Golden Larch) genera . ELC

was first discovered in North America in Massachusetts in 1927

. It was eradicated in 1965, but
since 1984 infestations have been found in parts of Maine

. Maine has added five townships to the ELC intrastate quarantine : Beddington, Boothbay, South Bristol, T24 Middle Division Bingham's Penobscot Purchase (T24 MD BPP), and T25 Middle Division Bingham's Penobscot Purchase (T25 MD BPP). These townships have been quarant ined either because they have been found to be infested with ELC or because they provide a buffer area between infested and uninfested townships.
APHIS is expanding the ELC federally regulated area to include these additional townships. This interim rule also corrects certain misidentifications of previously listed regulated areas. 

### Potential Impact on Small Entities
The only p otential ly affected entities within the newly quarantined areas are forestry operations . The annual number of these operations has ranged between 8 and 18 over the past 5 years, and they have involved 57 land owners and 38 loggers during this time . USDA Forestry Inventory and Analysis information indicates that of the newly quarantined areas, la rch has been harvested only from the Beddington , T24 MD BPP, and T25 MD BPP area . 1 About 1,100 cords of larch are harvested each year from a n area having a 40

- mile radius centered on these three

1 Dave Struble, Maine State Entomologist, personal communication. These three contiguous townships are located in Washington County. Boothbay and South Bristol t ownships are located in Lincoln County

. Mr. Struble provided the reported quantity and price data on harvested larch pulpwood.2

townships . Given the size of the se three townships (114 squ are miles) relative to the size of the referenced circle (5,024 square miles), a proportional quantity of larch harvested in the newly quarantined areas would be about 25 cords. In 2009, the most recent year for which complete price data are available, la rch pulpwood sold for about $15 per cord. Thus, the total value of
larch sales expected to be affected by th is expansion of the ELC quarantine is about $375. Affected operators may enter into compliance agreements with lumber mills to process larch
from quarantined areas, further reducing any negative effects of the rule. Many of the affected entities are likely to already have compliance agreements that allow self

- inspection of regulated
articles for movement to non

- quarantined areas. Timber tract op erations, categorized within the North American Industry Classification System under NAICS 113110, are considered small according to the Small Business Administration (SBA) if their annual receipts are not more than $7 million. SBA’s small

- entity
standard for logging establishments (NAICS 113310) is not more than 500 employees. All entities that may be affected by this rule are small. Expected effects of the rule, however, are negligible. Based on this information, this interim rule will not have a sign ificant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.