News Nursery
U.S. closes border to Canadian exports of boxwood, Euonymus and holly

Effective immediately, all exports and re-exports of boxwood (Buxus spp.), Euonymus (Euonymus spp.) and holly (Ilex spp.) plants for planting are prohibited from entering the United States from Canada.

This includes all propagative plant material from all origins, except for seed.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) is taking this action in response to the recent detection of box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis) at a nursery in St. Catharines, Ontario.

According to the USDA Federal Order DA 2021-11 dated May 26, “Box tree moth is a serious pest of boxwood, Euonymus, holly, and curry leaf tree (Murraya spp.), and these hosts are a pathway for entry of this pest into the United States. Box tree moth symptoms include green-black frass and silk threads on the host plant. Larvae feeding on leaves causes defoliation and mortality. Bark feeding by larvae results in desiccation and death of plants.”

“Prior to this Federal Order, shipments from Canada were required to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate and an additional declaration stating the shipment has been officially inspected and found to be free of box tree moth or produced in a facility or area officially recognized by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) as free of box tree moth as per Federal Order DA 2020-07.”

According to the same USDA document, the CFIA first detected box tree moth at two sites in Toronto, Ont. in August 2018. In November 2018, CFIA confirmed the presence of this pest in an urban neighbourhood in Toronto, resulting in the first confirmed report of this pest in North America. On April 30, 2021, the CFIA detected the box tree moth at a nursery in St. Catharines. The Canadian agency indicated that the pest may be present in the surrounding environment.

The CFIA says they are actively engaged with USDA-APHIS on this issue. Anyone with questions is encouraged to contact their local CFIA office.

Source: CFIA, USDA-APHIS

Prenant effet immédiatement, toutes les exportations et réexportations de plants de buis (Buxus spp.), d’Euonymus (Euonymus spp.) et de houx (Ilex spp.) destinés à la plantation sont interdites d’entrée aux États-Unis en provenance du Canada.

Cela comprend tout le matériel végétal de multiplication de toutes origines, à l’exception des semences.

Le service d’inspection de la santé animale et végétale du département de l’Agriculture des États-Unis (USDA-APHIS) prend cette mesure en réponse à la détection récente de la pyrale du buis (Cydalima perspectalis) en Ontario.

Pour plus d’informations, veuillez consulter l’ordonnance fédérale DA 2021-11 du USDA (en anglais seulement).

L’ACIA collabore activement avec l’USDA-APHIS sur cet enjeu.

Si vous avez des questions, veuillez contacter votre bureau local de l’ACIA.