Mexico’s environmental enforcement agency, Profepa, has launched its annual inspection program for imported Christmas trees, which will run from November 3 through December 5, 2026.
Mexico expects to import between 400,000 and 500,000 natural Christmas trees from the United States this season, mainly from the Pinus and Abies genera and the species Pseudotsuga menziesii.
The inspections are designed to verify phytosanitary conditions and prevent foreign pests from entering Mexico and affecting domestic forests. Procedures include document checks, visual inspections, and targeted or random sampling when necessary.
Controls are being carried out at nine border inspection points across Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas. The season’s first shipment entered through Mexicali with 2,803 trees and was cleared after inspectors found no pests.
During the previous season, Profepa inspected about 500,000 imported trees and identified a quarantine pest in a shipment of 785 trees, which was rejected.
If inspectors identify signs of a pest, samples are sent for further analysis. Shipments confirmed to carry a quarantine pest must be returned to their country of origin, while other lots may be released if they meet Mexico’s phytosanitary requirements.
Source: Enfoque
