Taiwan's quarantine authorities reiterated Sunday that from this year, all wood materials used for packaging imported goods entering Taiwan must be accompanied by proof that they have been fumigated or heat-treated.

The Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine under the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture said the new rules require that all wood packing materials -- including pallets, crates and boxes -- used to support or brace imported cargo must be marked with the approved International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) logo.

The IPPC is an international treaty adhered to by more than 170 governments to prevent the spread of pests of plants and plant products.

Taiwan has enforced the new rules in an attempt to prevent various pests from entering the country, such as Bursaphelenchus xylophilus -- a worm that infects pine trees -- and the Asian longhorned beetle -- a beetle from China that has already been found in the United States and which has become a threat to hardwood trees, with no natural predators.

Quarantine officials said wood packaging materials not marked with the IPPC logo will be considered untreated and will be either destroyed at ports of entry or sent back along with the imported goods to the country of origin.

Information about the new rules can be found on the bureau's Web site at www.baphiq.gov.tw, the officials said.

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