New question for Dear Don’t Move Firewood!
Dear Don’t Move Firewood,
I have a tenant who brought ash firewood from Massachusetts to Connecticut without my prior knowledge and has stored the wood on the property within the structure. I am reporting this as I am concerned for both the home and other trees on my property.
Yours, Worried in CT
Dear Worried,
First, let me put your mind at ease in terms of the risk to your rental property’s structure. The emerald ash borer does not infest standing structures like houses. It needs live flowing sap in the wood to survive and reproduce.
Now, to the meat of the issue. You have potentially EAB infested wood on your hands. Here’s my advice. Burn it. Burn it all, burn it now, and let the renter know exactly why you are doing this. Be safe with your bonfire or fireplace, of course, but burn it soon. The adult EABs, if they are in there, could emerge as early as the end of April. So burn it before those bugs can crawl out! Make sure to get all little bark scraps and other debris and burn that too.
If your renter brought the wood to your house from Berkshire County of Massachusetts, they have violated a quarantine and could be at risk for a major fine. The quarantine is in place because Berkshire county has a known infestation of EAB in the Pittsfield/Dalton area, and there could be other infestations in the area as well. If you feel reminding them of this quarantine will help them take you seriously to NEVER move firewood like this again, please feel free to kindly show them this informative link; https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/plant-pest-and-disease-programs/pests-and-diseases/emerald-ash-borer
If you think you have found an EAB or signs and symptoms of EAB, please report it! Learn more at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/plant-pest-and-disease-programs/pests-and-diseases/emerald-ash-borer