3251. CHESTNUT BARK DISEASE AND OAK WILT DISEASE

State Exterior Quarantine

A quarantine is established against the following pests, their hosts, and possible carriers:

A. Pests. Chestnut bark disease (Endothia parasitica), a fungus carried by birds, insects, water, wind, and shipment of nursery stock and unpeeled wood; and oak wilt disease (Ceratocystis fagacearum), a fungus carried under the bark of live or dead trees or parts of trees and also by oak bark beetles and sap beetles.

B. Area Under Quarantine. All states and districts of the United States except the State of Arizona.

C. Articles and Commodities Covered. All species and varieties of chestnut (Castanea spp.), chinquapin (Castanopsis spp.), oak (Quercus spp.), and tanbark oak (Lithocarpus densiflora) trees, plants, and parts thereof including grafts, cuttings, scions, nuts (except acorns), leaf mold, firewood, and unpeeled logs are hereby declared to be hosts and possible carriers of the pests herein quarantined against.

D. Restrictions.

1. Commodities Covered Prohibited From Area Under Quarantine. Except as provided in paragraph (4) hereof, all commodities covered shall be refused admittance into the State of California from the area under quarantine unless each lot or shipment is accompanied by an official certificate evidencing compliance with paragraphs (2) or (3) below.

2. Commodities Covered Produced in Western States Admitted Under Certificate of Origin. All commodities covered produced in and shipped from that portion of the area under quarantine west of the states of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico are admissible into California, provided that each lot or shipment is accompanied by an official certificate issued by, and *bearing an original or facsimile signature of, the authorized agricultural inspection official of the state in which the commodities were grown or shipped, affirming that chestnut bark disease and oak wilt disease are not known to occur in the state where grown, and also setting forth the name of the state where produced and the kind and amount of commodities covered by the certificate.

3. Commodities Covered Admissible Under Certificate of Treatment. Commodities covered may be shipped to California from the area under quarantine subject to prior approval by the Director of the method of treatment to be used. Except as provided in subsection (D.2), each shipment of a commodity covered must be accompanied by an official certificate issued by, and *bearing an original or facsimile signature of, the authorized agricultural official of the state of origin indicating the method of treatment, quantity of commodity covered, identification or license number of carrier, and the names and addresses of the shipper and consignee.

4. No Restrictions On Foreign Nuts. No restrictions are placed by this quarantine upon the nuts of all species and varieties of chestnut and chinquapin (Castanea spp. and Castanopsis spp.) grown in and imported from foreign countries when reshipped into or arriving in this State in an unopened original container.
 

CANADIAN GROWN CHESTNUTS 

APPENDIX A                                                                       12‑18‑75

 

Chestnut bark disease occurs in Canada.  Chestnuts from Canada should be refused under Section 6461.5, Food and Agricultural Code, unless shipped in original, unopened containers, indicating they were grown in a foreign country other than Canada.

 

 

REJECTIONS

APPENDIX B                                                                       07‑24‑84

The approved methods of rejecting uncertified articles are:

1.     return out of state,

2.     burn to ash, or

3.     bury to prevent scavenging.

 

 

OAK FIREWOOD FROM MEXICO 

APPENDIX C                                                                       01‑30‑86

 

It has been determined that oak firewood from Mexico from areas other than the State of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas does not present a risk of introducing oak wilt disease.  Shipments of oak firewood from Mexico accompanied by a document issued by authorities in Mexico showing the origin as other than one of those four states are admissible.

 

 

PROCESSED OAK LEAVES 

APPENDIX D                                                                      09‑18‑86

 

Oak leaves with or without stems that are commonly used in the florist trade which have been processed (i.e., bleached, dyed, heat treated) do not present a risk of transmitting oak wilt disease.  These items can be considered as exempt from this quarantine.

 

 

SYNONYM

APPENDIX E                                                                        08-12-87

 

Chinquapin (Castanopsis spp.) may also be labeled with a synonym, chinkapin (Chrysolepis spp.).APPROVED OAK WILT

 

 

APPROVED OAK WILT TREATMENTS

APPENDIX F                                                                        01-04-12

 

METHYL BROMIDE FUMIGATION

A treatment for oak wilt has been adapted for certification purposes.  Shipments of regulated articles that are certified by methyl bromide fumigation must be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate which indicates the treatment in the Treatment Section, T312 of the Federal Treatment Manual {15 lbs MB/1000 ft3 for 72 hours at 5oC (41oF) or above for logs or, 15 lbs MB/1000 ft3 for 48 hours at 5 oC (41 oF) or above for lumber}.  Two additional declarations are required:

1.     "The oakwood in this shipment is certified free of oak wilt based on treatment."

2.     "The treated oakwood in this shipment met the EPA aeration standard emission level of 5 ppm or less prior to shipping."

NOTE: This treatment is also an efficacious quarantine treatment for chestnut bark disease, Endothia parasitica.

 

HEAT TREATMENT

 

The following heat treatment has been approved for oak logs and firewood:

 

Logs should be heated to 160oF for seventy-five minutes. Time begins when interior temperature of log has reached 160oF.

 

The following additional declaration is required for logs heat treated as outlined above:

 

“The oakwood in this shipment is certified free of oak wilt based on treatment.”

 

 

OREGON

APPENDIX G                                                                       01-09-91

 

Oak Wilt is not known to occur in Oregon.  Small lots of oak firewood (one pickup load or less) for personal use can be allowed entry into California without an Oak Wilt Certificate if it can be determined that it originated in Oregon.  Commercial shipments of oak firewood are not included in this exemption and shall be required to secure certification prior to shipping.

 

 

HORSE CHESTNUTS

APPENDIX H                                                                       10-26-90

 

We have received correspondence from Harbor Farm, Inc., Little Deer Isle, Maine regarding shipments of decorated wreaths being rejected for violation of the chestnut blight quarantine.  Their wreaths do not contain chestnuts, Castanea dentata, but rather are decorated with horse chestnuts, Aesculus hippocastanum, an unrelated species.  Horse chestnuts are not covered by the chestnut blight quarantine and should not be rejected.

The primary way to tell the difference between chestnuts and horse chestnuts is that chestnuts are fairly uniformly shaped with a definite point on one end.  Horse chestnuts are flatter, rounder and somewhat irregularly shaped, almost lumpy in appearance with a fairly large stem scar.  They do not have a point on the end of the nut.

 

 

CERTIFICATES

APPENDIX I                                                                         09-08-94

 

All commodities covered under paragraph (C) may be shipped to California from the area under quarantine as specified in (D.2) and (D.3) except that certificates without an original or facsimile signature of an agricultural official from the state of origin, such as stamp certificates, are acceptable.