
Article 1 

(1. The Member States are hereby authorized to provide under the conditions laid down in paragraph 2 for a derogation from Articles 7 (2) and 12 (1) (b) of Directive 77/93/EEC, for coniferous wood, having undergone the proper heat treatment, originating in the United States of America.
(2. The following conditions shall be satisfied:
(a) the wood shall be manufactured at sawmills or treated at appropriate premises approved and qualified by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, US Department of Agriculture to participate in the kiln dried lumber programme;
(b) the wood shall be kiln dried over a period of time sufficient to achieve a minimum core temperature of 56 °C for 30 minutes in a kiln tested and approved for this purpose by an official grading/inspection bureau approved for this purpose by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, US Department of Agriculture; in the case of the use of a schedule where the dry-bulb temperature does not reach 56 °C, the kiln drying process shall include a condition period at the end of the drying cycle, where the kiln temperature will reach 60 °C for at least one hour;
(c) upon satisfaction of the conditions laid down under (b), a standardized mark shall be affixed to each bundle, or on their wrappers, by, or under the supervision of, the designated officer of the mill referred to in (a);
(d) a checking system to ensure that the conditions laid down under (b) and (c) are satisfied shall be set up by the official grading agencies, qualified and authorized for that purpose under a programme approved and controlled by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, US Department of Agriculture;
(e) a checking system shall provide for inspectors of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, US Department of Agriculture, monitoring at the qualified mills referred to in (a) and undertaking occasional pre-shipment inspections;
(f) the wood shall be accompanied by a 'Heat treatment certificate using kiln facility' which is standardized under the programme mentioned under (a), and complies with the specimen given in the Annex to this Decision, and which is issued by an authorized person on behalf of mills to participate in that programme approved by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, US Department of Agriculture.
Article 2 
Without prejudice to the provisions laid down in Article 14 (5) of Directive 77/93/EEC, the Member States shall notify the Commission and the other Member States of all cases of consignments introduced pursuant to this Decision which do not comply with the conditions laid down under Article 1 (2) (c) and (f).
Article 3 
The authorization granted in Article 1 shall apply from 1 June 1993. It shall be revoked if it is established that the conditions laid down under Article 1 (2) are not sufficient to prevent the introduction of harmful organisms or have not been complied with. This authorization shall be reviewed by 1 April 1995 at the latest.
Article 4 
This Decision is addressed to the Member States.
Done at Brussels, 22 June 1993.
For the Commission
René STEICHEN
Member of the Commission


