Pinewood Nematodes Issue Discussed at High-level Seminar by Chinese Key Stakeholders
An online seminar on regulations for imported timber trade and processing took place on March 9, 2022. The session was jointly organized by the China Wood Protection Industry Association (CWPIA), China Timber Conservation and Development Centre (CTCDC), and FII China, with support from the National Innovation Alliance for Timber Conservation and Utilization of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA).
The event was organized to review the latest “National Pine Phytosanitary Requirements for the Occurrence of Imported Pinewood Nematodes (PWN)” issued in China on December 6, 2021, and officially implemented on February 1, 2022. Affected countries mentioned in this announcement include Canada, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, and the United States, which requires them to ship lumber materials to designated ports of five Chinese provinces with stricter importing and testing requirements. Pinewood logs and sawn lumber imports to China have since experienced challenges in such as additional documentation, increased inspection rates, testing on arrival, barriers on transshipment and port delays.
A senior representative of CWPIA and CTCDC opened the session and gave an update on the current conditions for pinewood imports. A director of the Ecological Prevention and Control Department of the NFGA followed to share interpretations of the new PWN measures, inspection processes, quarantine policies, and outlook on China’s move to table specific operating procedures for pinewood imports and processing.
More than 30 representatives from Chinese wood industry associations and lumber traders attended the session and were invited to share challenges and issues they have come across with pinewood imports during the few weeks since the new PWN regulations have taken effect. Following this session, CWPIA will engage with the General Administration of Customs China (GACC) to share feedback from the industry representatives, in an effort to support the development of Chinese lumber trade and find solutions for issues relevant to pinewood imports and processing in light of the new PWN regulations.