TIMBER PRODUCTS July 2020 HT Newsletter Volume: 07/17/2020

The unauthorized and/or fraudulent use of the TP IPPC mark is illegal and a situation we take seriously. Anyone with information regarding the misuse of IPPC marks should contact TP's WPM Manager immediately. Thank you for helping to protect the integrity of the ISPM 15 program which is vital to our business and economy.

A REVIEW OF PEST REGULATED UNDER ISPM 15 

ISPM 15 heat treatment prescribed standards are based on testing that was performed to address Pine Wilt Disease.  Scientific data shows this time and temperature specified by ISPM 15 is also efficacious in killing most insect pests the standard was established to protect against.  The general listing of these pests is based on families and listed as:

• Anobiidae, Bostrichidae, Lyctidae - These three families are part of the superfamily Bostrichoidea which includes wood boring beetles (powder post beetles), auger beetles, spider beetles and furniture beetles.
• Buprestidae - Metallic wood boring beetles (i.e. Emerald ash borer).
• Cerambycidae - Beetles with long antennae (i.e. Long Horned Asian Beetle).
• Curculionidae, Scolytidae - These two families share the snout and bark beetles which includes weevils.
• Isoptera - Termites
• Oedemeridae - Fungus, darkling and blister beetles
• Siricidae - Wood wasps
• Bursaphelenchus Xylophilus - Pine wood nematodes / pine wilt nematodes, dirt nematodes

There are thousands of species in these families worldwide and it depends on the specific country as to which pests would be considered harmful under ISPM 15. While the specific species list can change with each country, as long as your material is properly treated, debarked and marked there are no issues with other countries importing and accepting your WPM.  

Noticeably absent from this list are carpenter ants which are in the Formicidae family.  Carpenter ants will excavate into wood to build nests but do not consume wood like the insects in the list above. Concerns related to carpenter ants come up occasionally but because they are not a pest addressed by ISPM 15, the heat treatment prescribed is not meant to be effective in eradicating them from your WPM.