The Emerald Ash Borer was officially detected in the US in 2002. Likely arrived to the US in the beginning of the 90s [0]. Probably with packing material. Relevant regulation of wooden packing material seem to have been passed in the end of the 90s [1][2].
If anything, this story supports the precautionary principle. Nice quote from Wikipedia: "Strong precaution holds that regulation is required whenever there is a possible risk to health, safety, or the environment, even if the supporting evidence is speculative and even if the economic costs of regulation are high" [3].
[0] https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/jrnl/2006/nc_2006_Poland_003....
[1] https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/7/319.40-5
[2] https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-1998-12-17/pdf/98-33444.pdf...
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precautionary_principle