Importation of Eucalyptus Logs, Lumber, and Wood Chips From South America

We are amending the regulations that govern the importation of logs, lumber, and other unmanufactured wood articles into the United States to allow wood chips derived from temperate species of Eucalyptus from South America to be treated with a surface pesticide prior to importation as an alternative to the existing treatments. This final rule follows a proposed rule that proposed to amend the regulations to require that logs, lumber, and wood chips of tropical species of Eucalyptus from South America be subject to more restrictive entry requirements, including treatment with fumigation with methyl bromide or heat treatment, than those currently in the regulations. In that proposed rule, we also proposed to allow wood chips derived from both tropical and temperate species of Eucalyptus from South America to be treated with a surface pesticide prior to importation. Although the more restrictive entry requirements for logs, lumber, and wood chips of tropical species of Eucalyptus are still under consideration, this action to allow wood chips of temperate species of Eucalyptus to be treated with a surface pesticide is necessary to provide an effective alternative treatment to the domestic wood pulp industry, which is interested in importing temperate wood chips of Eucalyptus from South America, while continuing to protect the United States against the introduction of plant pests.