ISPM 15 Update - May 18, 2009

Debarking of Wood Packaging Material (WPM)

The revised ISPM 15 has been approved and published requiring that all stamped WPMs be manufactured from debarked wood. The Debark Regulation requires that any number of separate and clearly distinctive small pieces of bark are acceptable under the following conditions:

  • Less than 3 centimeters (1-1/8") in width regardless of the length of the patch.
  • Greater than 3 centimeters in width and the total area of the bark patch must be less than 50 square centimeters (approximately the size of a credit card).

Bark is considered the "outer layer of a woody trunk, branch or root outside the cambium layer". Pieces of bark covering several faces of a wood component must be measured widthwise from edge to edge of each patch. Excessive bark can be scraped or stripped from the wood components.

The American Lumber Standard Committee has set June 1, 2009 as the effective date for enforcement of the Debarking Regulation. It is necessary for you to insure that all WPM certified products comply with this new Debarking Regulation. All PRL inspectors will immediately begin notifying our customers and holding WPMs containing components exceeding the limits of the Debarking Regulation.

Below are some general questions and answers regarding the Debarking Regulation adopted in the Revised ISPM 15:

a) How many individual bark patches can be on one board, if they are each less than 1 1/8" wide or less then credit card size?
There is no limit on the number of distinctive separated blotches or patches of bark on each piece.

b) There is 1 inch on the face of the length of the board and that same bark is 1 inch on the side of the length of the board....what is the call?
The width of the patch is measured across the patch regardless of the faces of the wood component it covers. In this scenario the total width exceeds 1 1/8" and therefore can not be larger than 50 cm² or the area of a credit card.

c) A board has a blotch and also has the scenario of b) above.....what is the call?
Because the patch of bark exceeds the limit in scenario B this component is non-compliant and can not be used in the WPM stamped product.

d) A board has had the bark removed and has only the residual wane (missing wood or untrimmed bark along the edge or corner of the piece) ....is it within the debarked limitation?
Bark can be stripped from the board making it compliant. Wane is not affected in the debarked regulation.

e) What about knot(s).....if there are 10 small knots scattered across a 1 x 6 x 10 ft long...?
Knots are not affected by the regulation, only the bark that may be around them.

f) What about inside knots that are not round...but are oblong and narrow? For example, about 5 inches long and only 1 inch wide....if you were to modify the shape of the area of the credit card is this ok?
Yes, the credit card standard must be used on all patches of bark wider than 1 1/8". As noted above, the bark around the knot (excluding the knot) is measured for compliance to the Debarking Limit.

g) A facility has a bundle of #3 or better with bark and knots.....they have not opened the bundle yet....do they need to modify their procedure form if that procedure is to sort as used instead of sorting once a bundle is opened?
The material must be sorted upon opening of the bundle and usage of the material.

WPM and Dunnage Stamp Revision

Included in the revised ISPM 15 is the regulation that the only information allowed to be contained within the borders of the WPM and Dunnage Stamp will be the IPPC logo, the treatment method, country code, and facility number. The certifying agency logo (i.e. PRL) and Dunnage or Dun will be on the right side, outside the borders. The facility code will remain the same except two digits will be added to identify the agency (11 for PRL) and the remaining digits after these will identify your facility.

The ALSC has informed us that our customers will be able to continue using the stamps they currently hold , but eventually all stamps will have to be replaced using the new formats. Additionally, WPM products previously stamped will continue to be accepted. All replacement stamp orders are being fabricated using the new format.