Year: 2014

Oak firewood from Missouri to Colorado?

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Dear Don’t Move Firewood,

I am wondering about moving oak firewood from Missouri to Colorado.  If it is legal do we need a permit or something to go across different states?  If you could please let me know I would appreciate it.

Thank you, Two Missourians

Dear Two Missourians,

Thanks for asking about firewood. It is illegal to remove any hardwood firewood from the state of Missouri due to the presence of both state laws and the federal emerald ash borer quarantine, with a very specific exception for hardwood firewood that has been heat treated and packaged at a federally certified commercial kiln facility. My guess is that you are asking about private firewood- so the answer is definitely that you cannot legally move oak firewood from Missouri to Colorado. There is no permit that would make bringing untreated (regular, not commercially heat treated) oak firewood from Missouri to Colorado OK.

Good luck with your trip, and please purchase firewood when you get near your final destination in Colorado!

Here are some good resources:

We are reviewing intern applications now

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Curious what's up with your application to be an intern with Don't Move Firewood? We closed the application period on Monday night and are now reviewing the many applications. We are SO EXCITED about all the really great applicants.

 

We hope to conclude the first round of reviews this week, and will be contacting potential interviewees next week. Most importantly, we can already tell that we'll have many more awesome people apply than we could ever hope to hire, so THANK YOU for all your interest!

 

We are hiring summer interns!

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Enthusiastic conservation interns needed for two positions (one 3 months, one 6 months) in Western Massachusetts with Don't Move Firewood's summer campaign! Our interns will travel to events throughout the region to educate the public about the issues tackled by Don't Move Firewood- talking about invasive forest pests moving on contaminated firewood, and how people can help look for and report pests. Experience speaking with the public is crucial, a background and/or education in forest issues, conservation biology, or other related field is desirable.

 

To apply, visit The Nature Conservancy's Job Listing #41992. Applications are due before April 7th 2014.

 

Please note that a small glitch in this listing sometimes makes it look like the interns will be based in Boston. They will not be in Boston. They will be based in Great Barrington, MA.

 

Do not apply via any email or form found on Don't Move Firewood's main site. You must go to the TNC Careers listing or your application will not be considered. Thank you!

Wood chips from Virginia to Colorado?

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Dear Don’t Move Firewood,

I would like to bring some hickory wood chips (from a tree on my property in Virginia) to Colorado for my son to use for smoking meat. I don’t want to move any infestation to Colorado, but hickory does not seem to be on any Virginia or Colorado site as a problem tree and as these are just chips, so would it be okay to transfer them to him? (ed. note: lightly edited for clarity)

Yours,

Virginia Resident

 

Dear Virginia Resident,

At first glance, bringing hickory chips from Virginia to Colorado seems like it might be OK- but it is actually in violation of the North American Spongy Moth quarantine. Because spongy moth egg sacs are commonly laid on all sorts of trees in Virginia (including hickory trees), and because the egg sacs are pretty small and could easily pass undamaged through a chipper, you can’t bring hickory chips from your tree in Virginia to your son’s place in Colorado.

Here’s a complete explanation provided by John Kaltenbach with the Colorado Department of Agriculture:

“This is actually a very good example of a risk that is not so obvious. We do not have Hickory in Colorado, but we also do not have spongy moth. There is a federal quarantine for the European spongy moth (Lymantria dispar)  that includes most of Virginia (see map). Anything that the spongy moth can lay eggs upon is subject to the USDA spongy moth quarantine and is not to be moved without treatment. Hickory is a host tree for spongy moth, so that increases the possibility that spongy moth egg masses could be laid on the hickory tree being cut down. One spongy moth egg mass may have up to 500 eggs and some will survive chipping.

While this may seem like an unlikely transfer of pests, that is how many of them have traveled across the country. Twenty years ago Colorado had two separate infestations of spongy moth that were successfully eradicated. We do not want to spend the time and effort eradicating this pest again.”

 

Here are some good resources:

Kiln Dried vs Heat Treated firewood

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Packaged firewood comes in a lot of forms, and it is important for you to know the difference between kiln dried firewood and heat treated firewood.

Kiln dried firewood is firewood that has been dried out, for some unknown period of time at some unknown temperature, in a kiln. It is a term without a firm definition, and with no legal standing. Kilns used for kiln drying can be set to lots of different temperatures and they can dry wood out a little, or a lot, and still label the wood kiln dried. Kiln dried firewood is NOT acceptable to move around, because of huge variations in how long, and how hot, the firewood was treated. It is completely NOT a meaningful label when it comes to forest pests and diseases. You cannot, for instance, take firewood that is simply labeled “kiln dried” out of a quarantined area for emerald ash borer. That is illegal.

Heat treated firewood is different. The makers of heat treated firewood hold a legal compliance agreement that the firewood is heated to a certain core temperature and for a certain amount of time. The heat treatment standard that is used most often is for 60 minutes to 60 degrees Celcius (140 degrees Farenheit) because this is the approved heat treatment level for emerald ash borer. The majority of the time, heat treated firewood is considered OK to move if it is properly labeled as such. There is notably some variation in heat treated firewood and various state and federal regulations. For instance, the required heat treatment level for firewood entering the state of New York is higher (hotter and longer) than the heat treatment level for firewood leaving an emerald ash borer quarantine area. However, in most cases, firewood labeled with a USDA APHIS seal (like the sample shown below) is considered safe to move across jurisdictional boundaries.

And now you know!

 

 

Private Campgrounds vs National Parks?

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Dear Don’t Move Firewood,

My family and I are coming up in June to camp at the Jellystone Park in Gattlinburg TN and I was told by the campground I could not bring firewood. I live in Gwinnett county GA and I did not see it on the restriction list, I only saw Dekalb and Fulton county on the list for GA. I was wanting to know if I could bring my own firewood, it is oak wood. (edited for length)

Thanks, Camper from Georgia

Dear Camper,

Whenever you are visiting a privately owned campground, it is important to remember that they can set their own firewood rules- including stating that you cannot bring any firewood onto their property. I looked up that particular Jellystone park, and it indeed on private land, which means their management can regulate the movement of firewood onto their land in any way they see fit. Even though it is not illegal according to state law nor national park regulation (Great Smoky Mountains Firewood Alert) to bring oak firewood from that county in Georgia into the region near this campground, the Jellystone staff are within their rights to prohibit it as a private business. Now, if you were camping in the National Park itself, it would be considered legal to bring oak firewood from Gwinnett- but that brings us to the next point…

You would be moving this firewood really far- probably well over 150 miles, and that’s a lot farther than what is generally acceptable. It might not be against the law, but it isn’t a good idea. So please, leave that firewood at home, and buy some when you arrive at or near your destination.

Thanks for asking, and enjoy your trip in June!

 

Curious about the states mentioned in this blog? Visit our Georgia or Tennessee pages! Or head on over the National Park Service’s Great Smoky Mountains Firewood Alert page.

 

 

 

Thinking Spring!

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Here are Don't Move Firewood, we are gearing up for the annual spring rush of website traffic from the millions of people that will be planning their spring and summer vacations. Here's what we are up to:

 

  • We've been subtly changing our front page messaging to work with some new research out of the Southern States Wildland Urban Interface project. This helps people find the information they really want- faster!
  • The 100 words project is in full swing, with a dozen state summaries now approved by our in-state colleagues. If we haven't gotten to your state yet, we will soon.
  • Our resident pest expert, Faith Campbell, has been busy updating the pest information over at the Gallery of Pests. This large resource of pest information is outstanding for anyone seeking in depth histories and details on invasive forest pests.
  • Coming soon: our State-by-State map is going to get easier to use (one fewer click for visitors!). This sounds like a minor change but it should greatly improve useability for our visitors from certain types of smartphones, and those on older browsers and computers.

 

 

Look for signs of invasive forest pests during Great Backyard Bird Count 2014

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

NEWS RELEASE — For Immediate Release

Contact: Leigh Greenwood, Don’t Move Firewood campaign manager
LGreenwood@tnc.org

Download PDF version of this press release at https://www.dontmovefirewood.org/resources/Great-Backyard-Bird-Count-2014

BIRD WATCHERS CAN COMBINE GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT WITH A BACKYARD BUG COUNT TO HELP PROTECT TREES AND FORESTS

 Looking for signs of insect or disease damage in backyard trees and shrubs during the annual bird count can help preserve vital wildlife habitats.

Arlington, VA—February 7, 2014— Bird watchers participating in the 17th annual Great Backyard Bird Count, February 14 to 17 2014, are encouraged by The Nature Conservancy to look for and report signs of tree pests like the emerald ash borer, Asian longhorned beetle, and other invasive insects and diseases. During the bird count, participants simply watch birds at any location for at least 15 minutes, tally the numbers of each species they see, and report their tallies online. Scientists at The Nature Conservancy want Great Backyard Bird Count participants to know that they should take a few extra moments to look at the birds’ habitats for signs of invasive forest insects and diseases.

“Trees and forests are an essential part of our lives, and they provide clean air and water, jobs and products, and vital wildlife habitat.  From tree-lined neighborhood streets to national parks, we count on trees to provide benefits today and for generations to come,” says Bill Toomey, Director of Forest Health Protection for The Nature Conservancy. “That’s why it’s critical for everyone to be aware of the trees around them and take simple actions to help protect them- such as looking for and reporting signs of insects or diseases.”

Many of the forest pests and diseases that affect trees can be stopped or slowed if they are found and treated early enough by the proper authorities. The Nature Conservancy’s Healthy Cities, Healthy Trees program and Don’t Move Firewood campaign, along with many state and federal agencies nationwide, are especially encouraging bird watchers to look for potential signs of forest pests while enjoying the Great Backyard Bird Count this year.

“The Great Backyard Bird Count is an ideal opportunity for bird watchers to check the trees for signs of invasive pests like Asian longhorned beetle and emerald ash borer,” said Jennifer Forman Orth, State Plant Pest Survey Coordinator at the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. “The damage from these insects can easily be seen in winter, when there are no leaves on the trees, and birdwatchers are typically armed with a pair of binoculars that will help them check high-up branches for the perfectly round holes left by Asian longhorned beetles in maples and other hardwoods, or the increased woodpecker activity and removal of bark (“blonding”) caused by excessive woodpecker activity associated with emerald ash borer infestations in ash trees.”

Birdwatchers can download the new Birdwatcher’s Short Field Guide to Holes in Trees, found at https://www.dontmovefirewood.org/resources/birdwatchers-guide-holes-trees/  to help them learn the differences between holes made by typical woodpecker and sapsucker foraging, holes made by woodpeckers seeking invasive insect larvae, and holes caused by the invasive insects themselves.

Participants in the Great Backyard Bird Count should report any suspicious damage or signs of forest pests as soon as they have concluded entering their bird data. Bird watchers are encouraged to take digital photos of any damage observed, identify the species of tree with the damage if possible, and then report findings using websites, state hotlines, or phone apps such as those found at https://apps.bugwood.org/healthytrees/ .

For more information on regionally and nationally important invasive forest pests, and how to report potential signs of infestation, please refer to the websites below.

###

Download PDF version of Holes in Trees https://www.dontmovefirewood.org/resources/birdwatchers-guide-holes-trees/

Download PDF version of this press release at https://www.dontmovefirewood.org/resources/Great-Backyard-Bird-Count-2014

 

To learn more about The Nature Conservancy’s Healthy Trees, Healthy Cities program go to https://healthytreeshealthycities.org . To learn more about Don’t Move Firewood, visit https://www.DontMoveFirewood.org .

 

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 18 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 117 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit us on the Web at www.nature.org.

 

100 words project

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Have you ever tried to look up your state’s firewood regulations on our map and thought to yourself, “Wow, I’m still not really sure what I’m allowed to do here.” We here at Don’t Move Firewood understand. A lot of state and federal firewood regulations are written in technical language, or so buried in a lengthy webpage that you can’t really find them. Our new solution: the 100 words project.

Each state will have a summary written in 100 words or less, in plain English, of their firewood regulations- for everything in the state. This will include state regulations, federal regulations, and those that pertain to all sorts of specific parks and forests. We started in the farthest Eastern US in Maine, and we’re working our way out from there. So far we’ve written fifteen summaries and gotten formal approval from state officials from four of those states- almost 10%! Off to a good start.

Hopefully this will prove to be a useful resource to all our visitors. Thanks for reading. You can view the Firewood Map here.