What Compliant Wood Packaging Material Looks Like
If you're an importer, be aware that some companies may try to pass off noncompliant wood packaging material (WPM) as compliant. This poses a threat to U.S. forests and puts you at risk of having your shipment delayed or refused entry. It helps to know what APHIS and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspectors look for when they inspect WPM, so you can make sure your WPM is compliant. Here's what to know.
ISPM 15 Stamp
Inspectors will look for a valid International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) logo and ensure no pest or pest risk is present. A valid ISPM 15 stamp includes the following:
- IPPC logo
- Two-letter country code
- Unique facility number within the country
- Treatment type: either HT for heat treatment or MB for methyl bromide
Signs of Noncompliant or Risky WPM
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Inappropriately marked. The stamp on the WPM is illegible or does not comply with the standard. In the left photo, the mark is not stamped on the lumber; in the right, there is no border around the stamp and the logo is incorrect.
Infested with pests. As well as pests, inspectors may find feeding damage, trails, exit holes, and frass (insect excrement that looks like sawdust). These are all signs of infestation in WPM.
Unmarked. There is no visible stamp on the WPM.
Mix of new wood and old wood. New WPM is fresh/green cut, sap-visible wood with higher pest probability. Old WPM has very low moisture content, is reused, shows visual damage, and has a lower pest risk. Mixed WPM has characteristics of both new and old WPM.
Pests of Concern
Here are some of the harmful, wood-boring pests that can hide in untreated WPM. Learn more about them and help us keep them out of the United States.
The Asian longhorned beetle is a destructive, wood-boring pest that feeds on maple and other hardwood trees, eventually killing them.
The emerald ash borer is an exotic beetle responsible for the destruction of tens of millions of ash trees in North America.
