The pine wood nematode, a microscopic worm carried by sawyer beetles, entered Japan in the early 1900s and has since killed large tracts of the country's pine trees. It entered Missouri in the US in 1979 and until now continues to decimate pines in several mid-western and eastern states.

The Asian long-horned beetle, on the other hand, entered the US in 1996 and wiped out many hardwood trees in Chicago and New York. Also native to Asia, the Dutch Elm disease caused by the fungi Ophiostoma ulmi was introduced to Europe after World War I. By causing discoloration in the tree's sapwood, it has eliminated most majestic American elms in Europe's urban areas and continues to kill many trees each year.

How did these pests manage to cross the seas, settle and wreak havoc in new lands? Thru wooden packaging materials (WPM) that are used to move commodities around the world.

To remove the risk of pest spread, the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) in 2002 required that all WPMs be stamped with the IPPC mark after they have undergone methyl bromide (MB) or heat treatment (HT).

MB, which is hazardous to human health, is 60 times more damaging to the ozone layer than chlorine and is responsible for 5-10% worldwide ozone depletion. It also renders wood non-recyclable.

In 2005, the Department of Science and Technology's Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI) in a joint project with Nippon Express Philippines Corp. (NEPC), found that HT using the Institute's 1,000-board feet capacity furnace-type lumber dryer (FTLD) is a technically and commercially feasible way to eliminate insect pests and diseases infesting wooden pallets - although re-infestation could occur under favorable conditions.

FPRDI's Forester Robert A. Natividad explains, "HT requires that the pallet's wood core be treated at 56oC for 30 minutes. We found in our study that the optimum HT time was 5 hours and average operation cost was Php 6.66 per pallet, 46% cheaper than MB fumigation. Today, six of the country's biggest producers of wooden pallets use the technology."

Researcher Wency H. Carmelo adds, "By doing away with MB fumigation, we help protect the environment. We also help the wooden industry- which makes about 14.5 million units a year- comply with the European and Japanese markets' demand for heat-treated pallets."

"With HT, the pallet industry has found a safer and cheaper way to get the IPPC mark on its products, something any exporter who relies one WPMs can not afford not to have."