Photo: USDA
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has updated the box tree moth (BTM), Cydalima perspectalis, quarantined areas as well as the movement of boxwood shrubs (Buxus species) across state lines from BTM-quarantined areas.
Box tree moth is an invasive pest that can significantly damage and potentially kill boxwood plants if left unchecked. The moth is native to East Asia and has become a prolific pest in Europe. In 2021, APHIS confirmed box tree moth in New York, and since then it has been confirmed in Massachusetts, Michigan, and Ohio.
The latest Federal Order establishes quarantine areas in Massachusetts and Ohio, and expands the quarantined areas in Michigan and New York. Specifically, the Order:
Photo: USDA
a) establishes a BTM quarantine for all of Massachusetts;
b) adds all of Clinton, Eaton, Ingham, Jackson, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne Counties to the BTM quarantines previously established in Lenawee and Washtenaw Counties and parts of Jackson and Monroe Counties in Michigan;
c) adds all of Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung, Chenango, Clinton, Cortland, Franklin, Genesee, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Monroe, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Oswego, Otsego, Tioga, Tompkins, Saint Lawrence, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates Counties to the BTM quarantines previously established in Eerie, Niagara, and Orleans Counties in New York; and
d) establishes quarantines in Butler, Clermont, Hamilton, and Warren Counties in Ohio, as well as the portions of Montgomery County, Ohio, to the south of Interstate 70; and the portions of Greene County that are west of SR 68 to the north of Xenia, and west of interstate 42 to the south of Xenia in Ohio.
Boxwood plants may only be moved interstate from a quarantined area from an establishment operating under a compliance agreement, and only if accompanied by a certificate issued by a State Agricultural Authority certifying that the requirements of this Federal Order and the compliance agreement have been met. These requirements will prevent producers and distributors of boxwood from moving infested plants interstate. State Agricultural Authorities may prescribe additional safeguards and protocols.
All other regulated articles of boxwood, including plant parts, pieces, cuttings, clippings, debris, and any portion of the plant, alive or dead, except for decorative purposes, are prohibited from movement.
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