What is the Plant Services Section?
This may be the most or least surprising thing you’ve heard, but there are rules about what you can do with plants and flora in Arizona. There’s a whole division dedicated to overseeing statutes and rules that protect plant health in Arizona. Arizona has a large farming industry and the Arizona Department of Agriculture (DOA) includes the Plant Services Section.
What is the Plant Services Section?
In their own words, “the Plant Services Section safeguards agriculture, food and the environment from the risks associated with the entry, establishment and spread of plant pests, diseases, and noxious weeds thereby promoting agricultural sustainability, market access, and competitiveness.”
When invasive species can drastically reduce crop yields and poison livestock, there must be regulations to keep that from happening. One plant that may be safe in a state next door, might be an invasive species in Arizona, or vice versa. When imports come in from all around the world, everything needs to be taken into account.
What Laws Do the Plant Services Section Enforce?
Most of the laws do not directly affect anyone walking into a landscaping store. Storefronts like ours and/or manufacturers like our partners have to make sure that we’re not selling materials that can endanger Arizona’s agriculture industry. This includes the following restrictions, strategies, warnings, and instructions for things like:
- Sale of infected plants
- Plant quarantines
- Abatement of noxious weeds, crop pests, or diseases
- Destruction of infected plants
- Destruction of infected shipments
- Inspections for infected plants
- Violation charges
By the time you get the soil and seeds, these laws have already been dealt with. What consumers have to be careful with is transporting plants they already have and making sure they’re not spreading anything. While we make sure our soil, mulch, and everything aren’t infected, that doesn’t stop them from getting infected by your lawn later.
Can You Bring Plants to Arizona From Other States?
The big thing that people have to be careful about is bringing plants across states. Plants, even of the house plant variety, can spread diseases. They can bring it to your lawn, which can spread to other lawns, etc.
To bring plants across state borders into Arizona, they must have a certificate that can be acquired by their state of origin. This certificate proves that the plants have been tested and found to be pest-free before entering the state, and also meet Arizona’s quarantine requirements. Indoor house plants that are free of insects and are stored in the commercial potting mix may enter the state without a certificate. If you bring a houseplant into Arizona that meets these conditions, then plant it outside, that’s breaking the law.
Can You Move Plants From Arizona to Other States?
Most states have their own certification requirements. Each of them can be found online at the National Plant Board’s website. Arizona offers its own certifications for other states to accept, but not every state requires only a certification.
Anything Else You Can’t Do?
For anyone planning to utilize a firepit, don’t use firewood from another state. Firewood tends to carry more diseases and pests than most plants. Common trees used for firewood include:
- Pecan
- Walnut
- Hickory
- Butternut
All of these trees are not native to Arizona and could seriously damage Arizona’s ecosystem. This means it's not a good idea to bring this type of tree, whether it be living or as firewood, into the state. You can get them checked and certified, but it would be much easier to purchase firewood in Arizona.
What is an Infected Plant?
An infected plant is any flora that either carries a disease or is infested with pests. Bacterial diseases, viral diseases, and pests that are common in plants can spread like wildfire. They can jump from plant to plant where they can either make them sick or physically destroy them. Pests can be the worst, especially if they’re small insects.
Small insects that are not native to Arizona can destroy a lawn, but also easily multiply and spread to neighboring properties, carrying diseases with them. They are also typically an invasive species that kills off other pests that naturally live in Arizona.
Avoid the Plant Services Section, Call Pioneer Landscape Centers
We make sure that all of our products come in clean and ready to go into your lawn. Avoid having to deal with the Department of Agriculture and the Plant Services Section. We can provide everything you need so you don’t break any rules or infect any plants. If you need soil, mulch, dirt, compost, and more, contact us today.