County Horticultural Pest and Disease Boards in Washington State | WSU Tree Fruit

Every county in Washington State that has commercial tree fruit operations that ship fruit to specific countries outside the United States are required to have a functioning County Horticultural Pest and Disease Board. The mission of Horticultural Pest and Disease Boards is to maintain low pest pressure and ensure unrestricted trade in national and international markets by effectively responding to written complaints and carrying out activities as described in the Revised Code of Washington (RCW; 15.08 and 15.09). In short, landowners must control and prevent the spread of horticultural pests and diseases that are deemed an economic threat to nearby operations.

Each county board is made up of an industry based chair and members, a paid manager and /or inspector, a WSDA appointee, and a WSU advisor. The list of actionable pests and diseases varies across counties but all lists include the highly mobile codling moth and cherry fruit fly.

Board contact information, complaint forms, meeting schedules, and pest and disease management information can be found on most board websites.