Engineered wood solves export packing problems

By Staff -- Logistics Management, 9/1/2000

Recent rulings by the governments of China and Brazil that are designed to keep wood-boring insect pests out of the country have created new headaches for exporters. Wooden export packing made of coniferous species must be certified free of bark and insects, and often, entire shipments must be fumigated in order to comply. (International agricultural authorities, however, are now considering dropping any distinctions between coniferous and other woods.)

According to APA-The Engineered Wood Association, a simple solution that allows companies to comply with those regulations is to package shipments in engineered wood packaging material (EWPM), which undergoes a high-heat manufacturing process. APA (formerly the American Plywood Association) is a trade organization representing U.S. and Canadian manufacturers of plywood and other engineered wood products.

All panels of EWPM products that bear the APA trademark comply with Chinese and Brazilian regulations, says the association. The group has printed a one-page summary of the high-heat manufacturing process for engineered wood products that exporters may use in support of their compliance certification if needed.

APA recommends that for shipments to China, exporters should issue a letter on company letterhead stating that the shipment in question contains no solid wood packing material. The same statement should be repeated on transport documents and commercial invoices. In addition, a specific no-wood certification form must accompany the export documents. That form can be obtained from APHIS, the federal Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in Washington, D.C. The form can be downloaded from the APHIS Web site (www.aphis.usda.gov).

For more information about engineered wood export packing, contact APA at (235) 565-6600; visit the APHIS Web site; or call the regional APHIS office in your area.