USDA-APHIS Issues Sirex Woodwasp Quarantine Directive for the Northeast; Carolina Weighs In
(More news)
The Sirex woodwasp, Sirex noctilio, is native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, where it is generally considered to be a secondary pest and attacks pine species almost exclusively. Females carry a fungus, Amylostereum areolatum, that they deposit in trees when laying their eggs. This fungus and the mucus injected by the wasp rapidly weaken and kill host trees, and the developing larvae feed on the fungus. Adult emergence is likely to occur from July through September, with peak emergence during August. In recent years, this woodwasp was introduced inadvertently into New Zealand, Australia, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and South Africa. In these Southern Hemisphere countries, Sirex woodwasp has attacked pine plantations and caused up to 80 percent tree mortality.
On February 19, 2005, a single Sirex woodwasp was identified in a sample collected as part of the New York State Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey National Exotic Wood Borer and Bark Beetle Survey, by E. R. Hoebeke, Ph.D. (Cornell University). It was confirmed by the Systematic Entomology Laboratory in Beltsville, MD on February 23, 2005. This female woodwasp was collected on September 7, 2004, from a Lindgren funnel trap placed among "mixed hardwoods and pine" just inside a forest edge adjacent to a recreational field at Fulton, NY (Oswego County).This invasive pest has since spread to other areas in the Northeast and Great Lakes as confirmed by surveys and trapping over the past 3 years. Moving forward in an attempt to reduce or stall the spread to other areas, the USDA-APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) and Emergency & Domestic Program (EDP) developed a directive in May 2008 titled, Sirex noctilio Domestic Quarantine Regulated Articles, Regulated Area, Conditions of Movement, and Treatments. This 5 page document details the requested quarantine conditions and names specifically pine logs, pine lumber, pine log home components, pine pallets, wood packaging constructed of pine, pine items greater than 1 inch in thickness in any 2 directions such as chips, pellet components, shavings, and mulch.
The map below depicts the states and counties under the quarantine issue and includes Michigan (8 counties), New Jersey (1), New York (60), Ohio (1), Pennsylvania (23), Vermont (6). Note: All but 6 of these counties (all in New York) are under quarantine for the Pine Shoot Beetle.
Regulated articles may be moved interstate from a quarantined area into or through an area that is not quarantined IF they are accompanied by a certificate or limited permit. A number of provisions to obtain a permit are listed in the directive, including “phytosanitary treatments”, including heat treatment (HT). The period of June 1 through October 31 are the most critical periods of movement of materials. The initiation and use of compliance agreements are also detailed, which would allow interstate movement of regulated materials.
NELMA is working with personnel at the Vermont Department of Forests, the UNH Cooperative Extension, and other allied organizations and agencies in the Northeast, to set-up a regional meeting as soon as possible between the forest industry and USDA-APHIS experts to truly establish the impact on the forest industry affected by this directive. Experience with the Pine Shoot Beetle quarantine dilemma is a sure indicator that all parties must work together to sustain reasonable log and lumber movements while minimizing the risk of spreading an invasive forest pest. NELMA will alert its members of the meeting as soon as a date and location is set.
While this directive is intended for control of the pest in the Northeast it is gaining attention from other states that are becoming pro-active in the fight against Sirex woodwasp. It is known that significant economic impact will occur if the woodwasp spreads to the pine forests of the southern US, since significant damage to plantations of Slash pine, Shortleaf pine, and Loblolly pine has taken place in South America. These 3 species of Southern Pine dominate the southern U.S. forests and are of critical economic value to the region.
As a result, the State of North Carolina has issued its own “Declaration of Exterior Quarantine for Sirex noctilio”, effective June 24, 2008. This declaration basically echoes the USDA APHIS directive and established external quarantines against pine wood products from New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Vermont, and any other state where the woodwasp may be found in the future. All pine items being transported from these states must have a certificate, limited permit, or compliance agreement in order to enter North Carolina.
In discussions with state government authorities within the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, it was determined that the State has not yet developed a compliance agreement or specific certificates at this time. These officials are interested in participating in the northeast regional meeting being planned and have been encouraged to attend in order to develop some form of harmonized requirements that our industry can comply, as other states out of the northeast region are likely to consider action to prevent the entrance of the woodwasp to their state.
