Pacific Lumber Inspection
Bureau (PLIB) is accredited to provide ISPM 15 certification to manufacturers of export wood packaging material. We offer this service in the Western U.S. states of California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana. We also
provide service in the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta Canada. Our
U.S. office is located in Federal Way, WA and we have a Canadian division office is
located in Vancouver, B.C.
If you have questions about how to
become a certified producer of ISPM 15 wood packaging or if you simply have
questions about how the process works, please give us a call.
U.S.
Program
In the United States, the governing
body for this regulation is the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
(APHIS) which is a part of the United States Department of Agriculture. APHIS
has authorized the American Lumber Standard Committee (ALSC) to execute and
monitor the American program for heat treatment, which is named the Wood
Packaging Material (WPM) Program. ALSC accredits quality control agencies, of
which Pacific Lumber Inspection Bureau is one, to offer service to producers of wood packaging material.
Canadian Program
In Canada, the governing body for this regulation is the Canadian Food
Inspection Agency (CFIA). The CFIA has authorized the Canadian Lumber Standards
Accreditation Board (CLSAB) and the Canadian Wooden Pallet and Container
Association to execute and monitor the Canadian program. CLSAB accredits
quality control agencies, of which Pacific Lumber Inspection Bureau is one, to
offer this service to producers of wood packaging material.
About
ISPM 15
The International
Standard for Phytosanitary Measure No. 15 (ISPM 15) Regulation of Wood
Packaging Material in International Trade is an international standard that
was developed to help reduce the spread of wood born pests in solid wood
packaging materials. Quarantine pests found
in wood packaging present a significant threat to forest health. Pests which are native to the forests in one
region of the world may not be native to the forests in another region of the
world. When pests are introduced into a
forest ecosystem where they are non-native, it can have a significant effect on
forest health and biodiversity.
WPM items produced entirely of reconstituted wood
products (i.e. plywood, oriented strand board) are exempt from this
standard. Only the raw lumber present in
the WPM is required to meet the requirements of ISPM 15.
Examples of WPM products commonly certified under
ISPM 15 include: pallets, boxes, crates
and dunnage. However, WPM can take many
shapes and forms when used to support or transport a commodity to its final
destination.
ISPM 15 is a regulation that is written and controlled by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). The IPPC is a part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Treatment
Methods
At this time there are two allowable treatment
methods under ISPM 15 which are heat treatment (HT) and methyl bromide (MB)
fumigation.
Heat Treatment
The most common treatment method used by
manufacturers of ISPM 15 WPM. Lumber is
considered heat treated when core temperature of 133 °F (56 °C) has been
maintained for 30 consecutive minutes.
An “HT” on the lumber grade stamp is a common way for mills to indicate
the lumber has been through the HT process.
Fumigation
Less common than heat treatment, methyl bromide
fumigation is another accepted ISPM 15 treatment. WPM treated by this method will bear an IPPC
mark containing “MB” rather than “HT”. Examples
where fumigation might be a good option include: last minute treatments (in the country of
origin, in-transit on the ship, or in the port of the destination country) and
treatments of especially large or complex WPM which cannot easily or
practically be heated in a chamber to the required temperature.
Does ISPM 15 Apply to Your Operation?
If you
can answer “yes” to the following questions, you should consider our ISPM
15 Certification Program...
-
Your
company manufactures its own solid wood pallets, crates, boxes or dunnage.
-
-
Your
company wants to ensure that your WPM is compliant and will not be quarantined in a foreign port.
 
How Does the Program Work?
Each
subscriber in the PLIB ISPM 15 Certification Program is issued an IPPC mark with
a unique identification number. When an
IPPC mark is applied to the WPM, it indicates the WPM complies with ISPM
15. The IPPC mark is the only
certification or documentation required to show compliance with the standard. Each country has its own system for issuing
IPPC marks and monitoring their usage, however, the appearance of the IPPC mark
from country to country is nearly identical.
The main difference is the ISO country code found on the mark. For example, IPPC marks issued in the U.S.
will contain a “US”, in Canada a “CA”, in China a “CN” and so on. At this time, there are approximately 75
countries that require imported wood packaging to be ISPM 15 compliant and more
countries are expected to adopt this measure in the future.
Whether
your company has onsite heat treating capabilities or you simply purchase HT
stamped lumber to construct your wood packaging, PLIB can provide you with an
IPPC HT mark to certify your international shipment.
Still have questions?
Please give us a call or send us an
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.
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