In response to a decision taken at a meeting of the Board of Directors held on March 14th, 2012, the New Brunswick Forest Products Association unanimously supports a voluntary moratorium that provides for the prohibition and/or restriction of movement of the BSLB and associated host spruce materials including: trees, logs, wood with bark attached, wood chips or bark chips and conveyances out of infested places as described in the Nova Scotia Containment Area map set by the federal Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) under the Brown Spruce Longhorn Beetle Infested Places Order.
This precautionary decision is being implemented to prevent the spread of BSLB to New Brunswick. Although the CFIA BSLB Management Plan allows for the movement of products at risk with the appropriate Movement Certificates, effective immediately we are requesting that New Brunswick mills or facilities not accept any regulated products from the Nova Scotia Containment Area during the BSLB flight period (May 15th – September 30th). In addition New Brunswick wood producing facilities will make every effort to process wood from Nova Scotia in their inventory immediately thus reducing the risk.
New to the orders this season is a 2 km containment zone around 2011 find of the first Brown Spruce Longhorn Beetle in New Brunswick. A single beetle was found in a pheromone trap located in Kouchibouguac National Park. It is believed to have been transported there by the movement of firewood. Precautions and steps have been put in place to cut and burn trees at risk in the immediate vicinity of the beetle find. Extra pheromone traps have been placed to monitor the situation. No wood is permitted to move out of the containment zone.
Not accepting potentially infested regulated articles during the flight period is consistent with the “stakeholder developed plan” to mitigate against the risk of spread of the BSLB. The NBFPA, and the NB Department of Natural Resources were participants in the development of the Stakeholder Plan, which was submitted to the Minister of Agriculture in February 07.
This is an interim decision put in place for this season and is based on available information which has resulted from existing surveys and research. This Voluntary Moratorium has been in place since 2007. The Board of Directors reviews its decision yearly as further research is performed and more information is available from expanded surveys on the spread and effects of the BSLB.
The New Brunswick Forest Products Association’s Board believes that under current circumstances it is most important to self-regulate risk mitigation measures. We have informed the Nova Scotia and New Brunswick Departments of Natural Resources, the Maritime Lumber Bureau and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency of this decision and will work cooperatively with these agencies to minimize the risk of spreading this invasive species to our region.
We have asked the CFIA to voluntarily inform the NBFPA and MLB of any application for movement certificates in order to discourage any of our members or any other facility from perusing this endeavour.
The Board of Directors thanks you for your cooperation on this matter and is available to discuss this issue or answer any questions you might have.
Contact: Mark Arsenault
Mark.arsenault@staging2.ibsltd.ca
506-452-6939
