Environment DEC
From the April 2007 issue
Help Prevent Invasive Insect Infestations: Don't Move Firewood!
It's time to head off to open the camp in the spring. The firewood left over from winter won't get used at the house during the summer, so it makes sense to toss it in the truck to take up to camp. But because spring and summer turn out to be warm, that firewood doesn't get burned right away. It stays there neatly stacked and covered all summer until fall, when a warm fire is a necessity at the end of a long chilly day outdoors.
Move firewood and you could be moving insects capable of devastating entire forests
Innocent-looking Firewood Harbors Pests
The next summer those big beautiful trees that make the camp such a special place, a paradise found, are suddenly starting to turn brown and die. That innocent-looking pile of firewood harbored insect larvae that emerged as adults during the summer and attacked the nearest trees.
Moving firewood has become a deadly threat to forests. In Michigan, where the southern part of the state has been devastated by the invasive insect called emerald ash borer and is now under state quarantine, a number of isolated outbreaks in the northern part of the state have been traced to loads of firewood that were transported from infested areas.
The danger of moving firewood is so great that, in Michigan, regulations were developed that set a fine of up to $250,000 and a year in jail for moving ash firewood out of a quarantined area. Although emerald ash borer hasn't been detected yet in New York State, it has been spreading through the Great Lakes states, and is now only 150 miles from New York's border.
One Infested Load is All it Takes
It could take just one load of infested firewood to transport emerald ash borer into New York State. Many other forest pests are already traveling around New York in firewood, putting multiple tree species at risk. Asian longhorn beetles attack maples and other hardwoods, the Sirex wood wasp kills pines and the hemlock wooly adelgid has destroyed millions of hemlocks. Beech bark disease, sudden oak death and gypsy moth outbreaks have also been linked to firewood.
Because of higher heating costs, more people are using firewood, increasing the risk of spreading forest pests. These pests can kill trees in nearby forests or right in your yard. Keep your trees safe: Don't move firewood! If you buy firewood, be sure you know where it was cut. Try to use only locally cut wood even if it costs a little more. Saving a few dollars on firewood may mean the loss of thousands of dollars worth of trees in your yard, your neighborhood or your camp. In New York, all non-local firewood, both hardwood and softwood (conifers such as pine), should be considered potentially dangerous.
Take a few minutes to check your firewood. It's easy to see the evidence of insect attack in stacked firewood. A few moments examining the split faces and areas where the bark has sloughed off will quickly tell you whether the wood has some unwanted residents. And watch out for that "free" firewood. Maybe you're thinking about using that tree in your yard that was dying for firewood to take on your camping trips next summer. Leave that wood at home and don't risk moving insects around with your firewood.
Alternatives to Bringing Your Own...
Campgrounds are where insect infestations often start because many people bring their own wood to campgrounds, sometimes from hundreds of miles away. But there are alternatives to bringing your own firewood to a campground. At some of New York's public campgrounds, you can buy packaged bundles of firewood that have been kiln dried, a process that also destroys insect pests. Many campgrounds have local firewood vendors who bring in wood to sell, and there is often firewood for sale outside most larger campgrounds.
Or you might consider bringing a supply of artificial fire logs made from recycled materials, such as compressed sawdust, just in case local firewood is not available at the campground. Some types of fire logs can be used outdoors, will burn as long or longer than regular wood, have no chemical odor and are safe for cooking. They can even be mixed with regular firewood. As you plan your trip, you may need to contact the campground to check on the availability of firewood.
More Information
Moving firewood is a proven way to spread deadly forest pests. DEC takes this threat very seriously and is considering a wide range of possible actions to address the danger of moving firewood, from public educational campaigns to regulations to restrict long distance transport of firewood. For more information on the insect pests that can be transported on firewood, see the Invasive Insect Species web page link below.
