Relief is available for shippers in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and other states affected by the recent expansion of the federal quarantine on the emerald ash borer and the wood materials it is known to infest.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced the expanded crackdown on the movement of regulated materials effective Dec. 1, 2006. Wood packaging is included in the regulation and will be monitored for compliance. The move is intended to stall the artificial spread of the emerald ash borer, an insect that is considered an extremely destructive pest blamed for the death and decline of more than 25 million ash trees.
Litco International today issued a statement reminding shippers that manufactured packaging materials such as the company’s Inca presswood pallets are proven alternatives to conventional wood pallets that are affected by the federal quarantine.
“Presswood pallets are manufactured in a way that ensures they are pest-free, and thus they are excellent choices for those who no longer can use traditional raw wood pallets in the federally quarantined regions of the U.S.,” Litco Vice President Gary Sharon said. “Shippers using wood packaging must prove compliance with the USDA regulations. Presswood pallets and other packaging materials are certified safe choices due to the manufacturing steps that effectively eliminate the risk of spreading insects and other pest species.”
Sharon said shippers can avoid the headaches of treating and marking their pallets if they opt for presswood products. “We can provide our customers with a document that certifies the difference between regulated raw wood and our highly processed manufactured particle board Inca products,” he said.
For more information on Inca products, and for a current ISPM 15 update, contact the Molded Products Group of Litco International Inc. at (330) 539-5433, or at
info@litco.com.
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Litco International Inc., based in Vienna, Ohio, is North America’s leading source of presswood pallets. Made from pre- and post-consumer wood chips in a patented molding process, presswood pallets offer shippers a number of advantages over traditional wood pallets, including lower cost and lower weight. Litco also provides plastic pallets and a variety of other shipping products, including separator boards, core plugs, dunnage bags and void fill, as well as pallet management, leasing and other services. Litco was established in 1962 and operates facilities in Vienna and Dover, Ohio, and Sardis, Miss.
