Canucks - Issues at border with wood blanks?

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
islandturner

islandturner

Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Messages
376
Location
Victoria, BC
I'm just back from a week in Minneapolis where I found time to visit Rocklers. They are great folks in this store BTW -- very helpful and friendly. One of them even looked up the address of a competitor for an item they didn't have. (I have no affiliation!) I bought several items including some exotic wood pen blanks.

At the airport on the the way home, I noticed that the Canadian custom declaration asks specifically about wood products. I told the Custom's agent that I had hobby supplies for custom pen making, and that satisfied him.

Has anyone had difficulties with Canadian customs when bringing exotic wood blanks into Canada?

Thanks, Steve
 
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
This past winter we were heading back to Canada from Maui and I picked up some wood while I was there. Had some pen blanks, small boards, driftwood and a couple of green pieces I picked up from some tree cutters. I cleaned off the bark of the green wood as I was told that wood with bark would not be acceptable.

At the border I told them about the wood I had and he gave a bit of hesitation but then sent me on. Most of what I've been told is that if it's dried already there should be no issue. It's the green stuff with bugs and parasites that will cause you grief.
 
I made a trade with a member from Austrailia. No problem with most of the wood but I included on piece with the bark left on. Apparently the bureaucrats when bonkers over that piece. Never did learn if he was allowed to keep it.
 
I was told at the Blain boarder that as long as it dosen't have bark on it and it's for hobbies it's OK.

Lin.
 
I spoke with my lumber dealer and he said any woods that are brought in to Canada (for his business) are controled by the FSC ( forestry services council) and also each country shipping in lumber soft woods hard exotics etc MUST HAVE export documentation to agriculture Canada and then import documentation from Agriculture Canada. This ensures that all exotic woods are "safe" Bugs, Disease etc. So could customs give you a hard Time? Yep and they can seize the wood if they feel it's fit to do so. I have 3 customs officer friends and they all say the same thing. It's up to the discretion of the officer you are dealing with. Thank the emerald ash bore beetle for this.
 
Last edited:
If you coat the entire blank in CA, it is then considered encapsulated and is legal to ship, but like it was said, it will be up to each customs officer as to what he want to let go through. I know of a member here that had a small problem because he sent spalted woods across the border and you can't send anything that could possibly cause an outbreak of non native diseases. There was a threat of a large fine for doing so.
 
Over the last three years I have imported over 150 shipments of wood from the US , probably half spalted , and 10% green with attached bark . Absolute zero problem from Canada Customs . Got a few bugs in some Texas mesquite , but they sawed up well . Of more concern was the spalted elm with bark on (bought as willow oak) , because of the Alberta prohibition on anything which might bring in the elm bark beetle . The rules are there to protect agriculture and forestry from exotic pests . Customs can`t monitor every shipment . It is up to us as shippers and receivers to be vigilant . Every state and province has a long list of exotic pests which have been introduced into their jurisdiction , and which they are attempting to control . As taxpayers , we all pay for the direct costs of control , and as consumers we also pay the frequently much larger indirect costs .
 
islandturner said:
I'm just back from a week in Minneapolis where I found time to visit Rocklers. They are great folks in this store BTW -- very helpful and friendly. One of them even looked up the address of a competitor for an item they didn't have. (I have no affiliation!) I bought several items including some exotic wood pen blanks.

At the airport on the the way home, I noticed that the Canadian custom declaration asks specifically about wood products. I told the Custom's agent that I had hobby supplies for custom pen making, and that satisfied him.

Has anyone had difficulties with Canadian customs when bringing exotic wood blanks into Canada?

Thanks, Steve
Click to expand...

I was in a pen swap a few years back and I sent a Gent pen to Toronto. It got hung up in customs for a month. I sold a pen to someone in England and they got it in a week. Go figure.
 
Rifleman1776 said:
I made a trade with a member from Austrailia. No problem with most of the wood but I included on piece with the bark left on. Apparently the bureaucrats when bonkers over that piece. Never did learn if he was allowed to keep it.
Click to expand...

Any wood going into Australia with bark is a no-no... we had to fumigate all of our crates going into Australia... we had some mighty big wooden boxes in the yard, covered in plastic tarps with fumigation bombs under them... it was easiest in a container... load the container, set off the bombs and close the doors.. The Aussie customs agents could see the bomb cans in the container when it arrived.

Likelihood is they took his blank with the bark and made an ash of it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom