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Melissa O’Dell (301) 734-5222
Marci Hilt (202) 720-4623
USDA REQUIRES TREATMENT FOR ALL FIREWOOD FROM CANADA TO PROTECT AGAINST INVASIVE SPECIES
WASHINGTON, Oct. 22, 2008--The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today issued a federal order, effective immediately, requiring heat treatment for shipments of all firewood made of hardwood species entering the United States from Canada.
To ensure that pests such as the Asian longhorned beetle or emerald ash borer do not enter the United States through the movement of firewood from Canada, APHIS is requiring all firewood made from any hardwood species be heat treated to a minimum temperature of 71.1° Centigrade for 75 minutes. Commercial shipments of firewood must also be accompanied by a treatment certificate issued by the treatment facility. Noncommercial shipments must be accompanied by either a treatment certificate issued by the treatment facility or an attached treatment label.
This action is necessary to prevent the introduction or spread of wood pests through the movement of firewood made from hardwood species from Canada into the United States.
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