In 2002, the Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (ICPM) adopted the International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM) No. 15 (Guidelines for regulating wood packaging material in international trade). Two treatments are recognized: Heat Treatment (HT), in which wood must be heated to a core temperature of 56°C for 30 minutes, and fumigation with methyl bromide. As the last treatment uses methyl bromide, known as having negative atmospheric effects, actually is being phased out by 2005 by the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Decrease the Ozone Layer: the fumigation of wood packaging using methyl bromide has raised environmental concerns. For many countries around the world only HT is applicable. When the used wood comes from fast growth plantations such as Caribbean pine (Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis), many problems concerning the nature of such wood are identified, because of the high amount of soluble sugars and of the starch allowing the growth of other pathogenic agents, mainly fungi. Even if the wood has been dried below the Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC), when storing the wood packaging material in closed containers for sea transportations, and even if the starting temperature and humidity inside are low, blue stain and mould fungi are developed during the several traveling weeks. In fact, 56 °C during 30 minutes is not enough to eliminate fungi spores in the wood Furthermore, as many export goods require isolation, the plastic wrapping films used for this purpose often retain the humidity in the wood, stimulating the development of fungi. Wood technologists know very well that bark free wood must be used, and that a higher temperature is required to sterilize wood. They also know that it is highly recommended to use kiln dried wood if the objective is to avoid pathogenic agents, because the drying temperatures use to exceed the stipulated by ISPM 15. Those are the best phytosanitary treatments.

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