TIMBER PRODUCTS November 2016 Newsletter Volume: 11/08/2016

The unauthorized and/or fraudulent use of the TP IPPC mark is illegal and a situation we take seriously. Anyone with information regarding the misuse of IPPC marks should contact TP's WPM Manager immediately. Thank you for helping to protect the integrity of the ISPM 15 program which is vital to our business and economy.

Further Discussion on the IPPC DUN (Dunnage) Mark 

In the June 2016 Newsletter we discussed the use of the dunnage mark stating:  

"The IPPC DUN (dunnage) mark typically identifies individual pieces of solid wood used for blocking or bracing as being heat-treated and debarked in conformance to ISPM 15 standards. The DUN mark includes all the elements of the standard IPPC mark but will also include the term "DUN" or "Dunnage" on it.  This mark is required to be legibly and visibly placed once on each piece of dunnage. If treated wood is being sent as dunnage to another facility where it will require further cutting, the dunnage mark should be placed in way where each cut piece would have a full mark displayed on it after cutting.  Pieces of wood that do not include all the required elements of the DUN mark should not be used for dunnage.  Examples where the dunnage mark would be permissible to use include where a wood piece is attached to opposite ends of a long corrugated pipe box, when bracing is employed in a 40' shipping container or when a piece of wood blocking is used to prevent metal banding from marring equipment."  

To further clarify this we will start with ALSC's updated definition in their Wood Packaging Material Enforcement Regulations, November 7, 2014 which states in Section 1.5:  "Dunnage, as defined by ISPM 15 is wood packaging material used to secure or support a commodity but which does not remain associated with the commodity.  As dunnage is a wood packaging product available as an individual piece of lumber it is a product with special considerations.  Those considerations are:

1.  Dunnage is not intended for use in the construction of wood packaging material pallets, crates, boxes, etc.  

2.  The seller shall inform its customers of the requirements of its use."

It is important to remember that the goal of the dunnage mark is to protect manufacturers from the misuse of individual pieces of lumber that would otherwise have a regular IPPC mark on them.  For this reason, dunnage marked material should be maintained as individual pieces and cannot be used to construct multi-component WPM that will remain associated with the commodity.  It is recommended that any individual pieces of wood that will not be assembled to other wood receive a dunnage mark.

There are gray areas to this such as an allowance for the construction of multi-component bracing for the inside of a 40' shipping container as long as it does not stay with the commodity.  As a general rule, if it is an individual piece of wood that will not be assembled to other wood, regardless of whether it stays with the commodity or not, it should receive a dunnage mark. Sometimes determining when to use a dunnage mark can be confusing so please contact your inspector or our office with any questions or to discuss your specific situation.

One final note, dunnage can also be reused as long as the mark remains fully legible.