Suspicious Seeds

We often speak of using local wood to avoid transporting potentially-infested oak firewood within, to, or from the San Bernardino Mountains. Now we have something new to be aware of; mysterious seeds appearing to be from China.

San Bernardino County issued a warning that if you received unsolicited mailings of seeds that appear to be from China DO NOT plant them because they could be an invasive plant species.

“USDA is aware that people across the country have received suspicious, unsolicited packages of seed that appear to be coming from China,” the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said in a statement. They are working closely with federal and state partners, including Customs and Border Protection, to investigate. State officials said some packages were labeled as jewelry and many have contained Chinese writing. According to checks done by China’s postal service, records on the packages appear to have been falsified.

As we are well aware, invasive species wreak havoc on the environment, displace or destroy native plants and insects and severely damage crops. Taking steps to prevent their introduction is the most effective method of reducing both the risk of invasive species infestations and the cost to control and mitigate those infestations. So until they figure out what is going on, it is best to follow the suggestions of the USDA and San Bernardino County.

According to Snopes.com people are reporting that they are receiving unsolicited packages of seeds in the mail with return addresses indicating they were sent from China. What’s undetermined is the motive behind these mailings, and whether or not it is a malicious one or not.