APHIS Amends Import Requirements for Buxus spp., Euonymus spp., and Ilex spp. from Canada into the United States and territories

Effective December 19, 2023, the United States Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is amending entry requirements for the importation of certain plants for planting from Canada to prevent introduction of box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis, BTM) into the United States. APHIS is taking this action in response to the detection of BTM at a nursery in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, and subsequent detections in Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. APHIS considers propagative hosts a high-risk pathway for the introduction of BTM.

Box tree moth is a serious pest of boxwood (Buxus spp.) and curry leaf tree (Murraya spp.) species, which are pathways for entry of the pest into the United States. BTM symptoms include green-black frass and silk threads on the host plant. Larvae feeding on leaves and bark can lead to the death of the affected plants

Currently, the importation of all propagative plant material, except seeds, of certain hosts of BTM are considered by APHIS “Not Authorized Pending Pest Risk Analysis (NAPPRA)”. Boxwood is currently considered NAPPRA from all countries except Canada. Euonymus is NAPPRA from Europe and is subject to post-entry quarantine import requirements from all other countries except Canada. Curry leaf tree is NAPPRA from all countries. Shipments of Buxus, Euonymus, and Ilex plants for planting from Canada were initially prohibited by Federal Order DA-2021-11. However, APHIS conducted a non-Buxus host range assessment for BTM, which concluded Ilex spp. are not hosts and identified conflicting reports of Euonymus alatus and E. japonicus being hosts.