USDA hopes to stop spread of pine shoot beetle from Canada

USDA hopes to stop spread of pine shoot beetle from Canada    The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has imposed quarantine restrictions on imports of nursery stock and pine products from Canada that may help to spread the destructive pine shoot beetle.
   Effective today, Canadian nursery stock and pine product shipments must meet certain requirements related to documentation, treatment, handling, and use as a condition of importation into the United States.
   “This action is necessary on an emergency basis to help prevent the introduction and spread of pine shoot beetle, a pest of pine trees, into noninfested areas of the United States,” USDA said.
   For more information, contact Fred Thomas, APHIS import specialist, at (301) 734-8367.