The Asian longhorned beetle and the emerald ash borer are two non-native insects that have invaded Canadian forests (including urban woodlands) and are thought to have arrived in untreated wood packaging from other countries. Raw wood packaging (such as untreated pallets and crates, that moved around the world in trade until 2002) is an ideal haven for such insects, which survive in the wood and then establish themselves in their new home territories.
Recognizing that the spread of exotic pests can pose a serious threat, the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM; the governing body of the International Plant Protection Convention) developed ISPM 15, a global standard for treating wood packaging to ensure a low risk of harbouring pests. The standard, adopted in 2002 and revised in 2009, allows for two treatments: heat or fumigation using methyl bromide or sulphuryl fluoride.
The ISPM 15 standard was not created by regulators alone. According to the World Trade Organization’s Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement, plant protection regulations must be based on evidence-based science. ISPM 15 drew on existing research, some of it from Canadian bodies (e.g., Canadian Forest Service [CFS], Canadian Food Inspection Agency [CFIA]) that address non-Indigenous species. ISPM 15 was also modelled on the North American Plant Protection Organization’s solid wood packaging standard, developed earlier under the guidance of a study group from the North American Forestry Commission.
Since ISPM 15 was adopted, the standard-setting process has benefitted from the input of an independent scientific advisory group. The International Forestry Quarantine Research Group brings together scientists, regulators, and industry experts from around the world, who provide CPM drafting teams with scientific advice and research.
With Science Steering Committee members from CFS, the international research group is currently investigating alternatives to the methyl bromide treatment, which has raised concerns because of evidence that it depletes the ozone layer. The group’s analysis and research has also helped in the development of other international standards, for example for wood commodities (ISPM 39), forest tree seed (ISPM 38), and other products.
Canada and the international community will continue to monitor pest movement, looking for new pathways that pests may follow and seeking evidence-based solutions. CFS and CFIA are leading this work in Canada, in collaboration with the Canadian forest sector and organizations involved in import and export activities.
“Global collaboration is critical in phytosanitary scientific research. Scientists in the International Forestry Quarantine Research Group have analyzed data and designed experiments conducted in a number of countries, which reduces risk associated with wood packaging. For example, cooperative studies identified bark tolerances and heat and fumigant treatment requirements for inclusion in ISPM 15.”
—Dr. Eric Allen, Retired Canadian Forest Service, former Chair of the International Forestry Quarantine Research Group
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