Month: June 2016

Firewood with BEETLES coming out of it!

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Dear Don't Move Firewood,

I bought firewood from a grocery store in the Seattle area and when I cut it to make some kindling BEETLES came out of it! What should I do to let someone know? The wood came from (a distributor out of state) and they should be ashamed of themselves for selling infested wood!!!

Yours,

Concerned Kindling Cutter

Dear Kindling Cutter,

I agree that is disturbing, and that you should report it. I suggest looking up the Washington Department of Agriculture, Plant Protection Division, and calling them to ask for help. Most states have a Plant Protection staff person within their Department of Agriculture that is able to assist on these things. In your case the the contact list for the Washington Department of Agriculture is online here– I suggest trying the "PLANT PROTECTION General Information" number as your starting point.

If that doesn't work, you can also call the USDA APHIS State Plant Health Director's office for your state if you are having trouble with reaching someone at the local Department of Agriculture. Thank you for your attention to firewood safety!

Firewood from Pennsylvania to New Mexico

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Dear Don’t Move Firewood,

I live in Albuquerque New Mexico and was planning to make a trip to Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. What if any, are the restrictions for moving a pickup load of Hickory, Oak, Cherry and Apple back to NM with me when I return? Does this require any special permit? I plan to use the wood for heat and smoking meat. 

Yours,

Barbecue Lover

Dear Barbecue Lover,

Thank you for asking, as the answer to this is quite clear. It is illegal to move a truckload of cut loose firewood from Pennsylvania to New Mexico due to multiple federal quarantines pertaining to firewood and forest pests. There is no permit process that I know of for personal use firewood to be moved over this great of a distance, and across the two federal quarantine boundary areas. I would urge you not to take this firewood back to New Mexico for both legal, and ecological, reasons. I hope that instead, you can find a good local source of firewood within the state of New Mexico for your needs! —

 

The two most obvious quarantines you would be violating are:

– Emerald Ash Borer Quarantine or General Information

– European Gypsy Moth Quarantine or General Information

 

In conclusion- there are significant restrictions and you’d be violating the law, so you should not move firewood from PA to NM. Thank you!

 

 

Emerald ash borer outreach materials for Texas and Nebraska

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Texas and Nebraska both announced that they’ve confirmed emerald ash borer in their states in the last month. Whenever a state discovers a high profile pest that can be transported by firewood within their boundaries, we here at Don’t Move Firewood like to remind them that we are here to serve their needs!

Here is a list of ideas for Texas, Nebraska, and any other state actively reaching out to the public on the topic of invasive pests and pathogens that move on firewood.

  • We have limited supplies of temporary tattoos you can order via emailing us at info at dontmovefirewood dot org or you can read about how to order large quantities of them via our blog
  • Likewise, we have limited supplies of two types of stickers you can order (our Mountain scene small rectangle sticker, and our That’s What Tree Said oval sticker) via emailing us at info at dontmovefirewood dot org
  • Our educational movie Trees, Pests & People has a whole chapter (about 11 minutes long) on emerald ash borer. It is a great introduction to the subject. You can request DVDs for outreach via emailing us at info at dontmovefirewood dot org, or watch on YouTube.
  • Our Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week Toolkit has TONS of ideas for anyone working with emerald ash borer. Only a few are specific to EAB Awareness Week itself, the rest are good year-round
  • Subscribe to our Firewood Professional Community Newsletter (subscribe via the right hand side of this page) for a monthly update on all things forest pests and firewood

Most of all, send us an email. The Don’t Move Firewood staff are here and eager to help. Good luck!