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TIMBER PRODUCTS October 2023 HT Newsletter Volume: 10/02/2023
Online Newsletter
Matt McGowan - WPM Program Manager
mmcgowan@tpinspection.com
mmcgowan@tpinspection.com
Office: 770.785.4769
Mobile: 678.480.2451
Mobile: 678.480.2451
For more information on the IPPC program
Please contact:
Matt McGowan
Director of Wood Packaging
Peachtree City GA
Office 770.785.4769
Mobile 678.480.2451
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.
Lyrics from the Late Jimmy Buffett
Some of it's magic and some of it's tragic but I had a good life all the way.
It's those changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes nothing remains quite the same. With all of our running and all of our cunning, if we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane.
I like mine with lettuce and tomato, Heinz 57 and french fried potatoes, big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer. Good God almightly which way do I steer.
Oh, yesterdays are over my shoulder, So I can't look back for too long. There's just too much to see waiting in front of me, and I know that I just can't go wrong.
We've gotta roll with the punches. Learn to play all of our hunches. Makin' the best of whatever comes your way. Forget that blind ambition and learn to trust your intuition. Plowin' straight ahead come what may.
Wrinkles will only go where the smiles have been.
I'm growing older not up, my metabolic rate is pleasantly stuck. Let those winds of time blow over my head, I'd rather die while I'm living then live while I'm dead.
Wasting away again in Margaritaville, searching for my lost shaker of salt. Some people think there's a woman to blame, but I know - it's my own damn fault
Yes, I am a pirate, two hundred years to late, the cannons don't thunder, there's nothing to plunder, I'm an over-forty victim of fate. Arriving to late, arriving to late.
That was the way my parents perceived me, those were the plans that they had. But I couldn't fit the part, too dumb or too smart. Ain't it funny how we all turned out. I guess we are the people our parents warned us about.
Oh, crazy how things happen, it's incredible but true. The longer I'm gone the closer I feel to you.
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Season is Here
The Australian Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) season is upon us. The season lasts from September 1, 2023, to April 30, 2024. During this time, most products going to Australia require fumigation prior to leaving the U.S. This has nothing to do with WPM and the ISPM 15 program, but it affects many WPM clients as it applies to what is being shipped in or on their manufactured and IPPC marked WPM. Make certain to be aware of the fumigation requirements for shipments going to Australia during this time to avoid any costly corrections required by Australian Customs due to lack of proper treatment. Also, be aware that BMSB is not covered under ISPM 15 and so the mark is not meant to show that the WPM has been treated for BMSB.
Stamp Protocol for Offsite Use
American Lumber Standard Committee, Incorporated® Wood Packaging Material Enforcement Regulations Issued November 7, 2014 state:
5.6.12.1 "Except by prior written arrangement with the agency and notification to the ALSC, the quality marks issued by an agency to a specific facility location are to be used only at that location."
Stamps are licensed and assigned to specific locations and taking a stamp offsite is not allowed. There are rare occasions where authorization is given by the agency upon a written request from the facility. Inspector oversight may be required in these situations at an additional expense to the facility. It is best to ensure all WPM is properly marked prior to shipment in order to avoid any issues. As a reminder, stamps must always be kept on site and secure at the facility they are assigned to.
IPPC Marking of Processed Wood Material
Application of the IPPC mark on wood packaging where processed wood material is used will be determined based on whether there is any solid wood also used to build the WPM and if that solid wood is exposed enough to place an IPPC mark on it. When looking at the current regulations for ISPM 15 on page 15-6, Section 2.1 Exemptions states:
"The following articles are of sufficiently low risk to be exempted from the provisions of this standard:
- wood packaging material made entirely from thin wood (6 mm or less in thickness)
- wood packaging made wholly of processed wood material, such as plywood, particle board, oriented strand board or veneer that has been created using glue, heat or pressure, or a combination thereof
- barrels for wine and spirit that have been heated during manufacture gift boxes for wine, cigars and other commodities made from wood that has been processed and/or manufactured in a way that renders it free of pests
- sawdust, wood shavings and wood wool
- wood components permanently attached to freight vehicles and containers."
If only processed wood material is used, an IPPC mark is not required. However, if solid wood is also used (as it typically is) to build the WPM product, IPPC marking will be required. Annex 2, page 15-17 of ISPM 15, states the following with regards to marking wood packaging material that incorporates processed wood material in its manufacture:
"Where various components are integrated into a unit of wood packaging material, the resultant composite unit should be considered as a single unit for marking purposes. On a composite unit of wood packaging material made of both treated wood and processed wood material (where the processed component does not require treatment), it may be appropriate for the mark to appear on the processed wood material components to ensure that the mark is in a visible location and is of a sufficient size."
The application of the mark on processed wood material is acceptable on multi-component wood packaging where such application is done to ensure the mark is seen. If the solid wood is used to build an interior skeleton where the processed wood material covers it, the IPPC mark should be appropriately placed on the processed wood material. Facilities should also place a mark on opposite sides of the internal solid wood skeleton to verify conformance in case the WPM is opened and reviewed by Customs. If solid wood is used as an exterior skeleton for the WPM, the IPPC mark should be placed on the solid wood to show it meets IPPC conformance.
Please notify TP's Director of Wood Packaging with any questions related to the marking of processed wood material or any of the other items listed in ISPM 15's "Exemptions" section.