Questions and Answers: USDA Suspends Importation of Manufactured Wood
Items from China
Plant Protection and Quarantine
March 2005
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 products 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.
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/crafts
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