Wood Packaging is essential for trade and the movement and protection of cargo and containerized goods.

Wood packaging can accompany any article and represents a large group of products such as pallets, dunnage, boxes, crating, packaging blocks, drums, cases, load boards, pallet collars, and skids. historically, these products were commonly produced from non-manufactured wood which lacked sufficient processing or treatment to remove or eradicate pests present in the wood.

Canadian pest interception records have demonstrated that a large variety of pests can be transported with wood packaging and in many circumstances the pests have been able to survive. The Canadian pest risk assessment for the import of wood packaging has scientifically identified wood packaging as a significant pathway for the movement of quarantine insects and diseases of plants and trees.

Despite the development of a variety of import requirements for wood packaging, pests continue to move throughout the world on wood packaging. It is believed that the introduction of several invasive quarantine pests, for example, Asian Long-horned Beetle, Brown Spruce Longhorn Beetle, Emerald Ash Borer and the Pine Shoot Beetle, into north america is related directly to the movement of wood packaging from other areas of the world. As global trade continues, every importing country is at risk from the introduction of wood pests.

In March of 2002, the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) adopted a wood packaging standard; Guidelines for Regulating Wood Packaging in International Trade, (ISPM No. 15). This standard recognizes the plant health risk associated with wood packaging and outlines approved phytosanitary measures. To target the plant health risk associated with wood packaging, the standard recommends that all wood packaging should be treated. To facilitate trade, treated wood packaging must be marked in a manner to identify the approved treatment and to provide traceability to the country of origin and the producing facility.

The CWPCP is a certification system that allows Canadian wood packaging facilities and treatment facilities to build wood packaging products that meet the provisions of ISPM No. 15. The final product will be marked with a Canadian wood packaging certification mark. This mark will be unique to each Registered Facility. Under the CWPCP, the term facility refers to either a wood packaging, a fumigation facility or a HY treatment facility. For the purpose of this document, a registered facility is a lumber mill or other facility that has been approved and registered by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to produce, handle or export heat treatment lumber in accordance with the specifications outlined in the CWPCP.

The CWCPC and The Technical Heat Treatment Guidelines and Operating Conditions Manual (PI-07) provide the specifications for the treatment and manufacturing of wood packaging material in accordance with the requirements of ISPM No. 15. The CWPCP uses a quality systems approach designed to allow traceability of treated wood packaging material certified under this program to the actual treatment record, treatment facility and the wood packaging facility.

Wood packaging produced under the specifications of this standard by CFIA registered facilities also meets the conditions of delivery of the program recognized by the European Union (EU) as a derogation from the Phytosanitary Certificate requirements of Council Directive 2000/29/EC in respect of heat-treated wood of conifers originating from Canada to present the introduction of the Pinewood Nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) via wood packaging material).

ISPM 15 Wood Packaging Recognized Mark

Once a wood packaging facility has been registered by the CFIA, a unique facility has been registered by the CFIA, a unique facility registration number will be assigned to the facility by the CFIA. This number acknowledges that the facility meets the official phytosanitary criteria for registration and will become part of their wood packaging mark recognized under ISPM No.15.

The wood packaging mark must be legible, permanent and placed in a visible location on a minimum of two opposite sides of the article being certified. The wood packaging certification mark must be black. The ink colors of red or orange must not be used.

The wood packaging certification mark may be stamped, labeled or branded to the wood packaging. Tags or other non-permanent applications of the mark are not permitted.

The wood packaging certification mark is non-transferable and ultimately provides traceability to the facility and the location where the treatment occurred. One Facility registration number will be issued to each facility location.