Author: Leigh Greenwood

Firewood related non-profits

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Firewood is an interesting topic that touches a lot of different types of people, industries, and ideas. Here’s a quick round up of non profits that work directly on firewood related issues, in alphabetical order:

  • Alliance for Green Heat “promotes high-efficiency wood combustion as a low-carbon, sustainable, local and affordable heating solution.” from their About Us
  • American Firewood Producers and Distributors Association “developed to create a national standard and certification program for the production and manufacturing of firewood.” from their About Us
  • Don’t Move Firewood! That’s us. We educate the public about the need to use local firewood or certified heat treated firewood to prevent the spread of forest pests. You can learn more about who runs Don’t Move Firewood at our About Us page.
  • National Firewood Association “dedicated to serving the interests of the firewood industry, consumers of firewood, and the environment alike.” from their front page, learn more on their Mission page.
  • WoodHeat.org “a nonprofit, nongovernmental agency dedicated to the responsible use of wood as a home heating fuel.” from their front page, learn more on their More About page. (Ed. note: this organization is incorporated as a non-profit in Canada, but provides ample information on both USA and Canadian interests.)

If you believe we’ve missed an important non-profit, please email us at info at dontmovefirewood.org to help us make this blog more informative.

In addition to these five non-profits, there are a host of governmental agencies in both the USA and Canada that work on firewood issues. We’ll cover those another day!

 

 

Top 3 Frozen Forest Pests

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Exceptionally severe cold weather can reduce populations of some native and non-native forest pests, giving the trees a temporary reprieve. Here’s a quick round up of three forest pests very likely to freeze into tiny larvae-sicles during vicious cold snaps.

1. Emerald ash borer suffer some losses when it is extremely cold. The larvae of emerald ash borer contain a natural antifreeze- but it only works to around -13F / -25C. Below those already incredibly cold temperatures, they will freeze and die. Read this Minnesota Public Radio article, or this technical scientific paper, to glory in their frozen demise. On the other hand, some of the parasitoid wasps that kill and eat emerald ash borer are also vulnerable to extreme cold. Read all about that in this scientific paper if you want to get deep into the details.

2. Hemlock woolly adelgid might not be woolly enough. It needs to be fully -22F / -30C to start killing hemlock woolly adelgids under their tiny wool coats, but that’ll do it. Read the scientific paper here.

3. Southern pine beetle is native to the Southern US, but it is increasingly creeping north and becoming a pest of more northerly forests, like in New Jersey and Long Island, New York. Good news! It dies out when winters reach -8F / -22C for at least a season or two. For more on bark beetles and when they freeze their tarsi off, try this article.

On the other hand, Entomology Today has an excellent explainer titled, Falling Temperatures do not Necessarily Mean Fewer Insects. It is well accepted by most scientists that cold events do not eliminate populations of insects- they just reduce them to lower levels for a season or two. Even just being insulated by snow can be enough to keep a few larvae alive at the base of a tree, allowing for enough survivors to build populations back up in a year or two . And of course, you can’t count on the cold to render your firewood safe to move, either- the wood in the center of the pile might be a lot less cold than the wood at the edges, permitting survival in there, too.

BLOG UPDATED 2021 TO REFLECT NEW ARTICLES AND INFORMATION

Firewood resolutions for 2014

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Do you want to protect trees and forests from invasive pests this year? Here's a list of resolutions to help you buy and burn firewood the right way.

 

  • First, don’t move firewood. That means use firewood from under 50 miles as a general rule of thumb- although in some places, the rules can be 10 miles or even no movement at all.
  • Instead, buy or cut, and burn, locally cut firewood.
  • If you must move firewood, buy certified heat treated bundled wood
  • If you or someone you know has already moved firewood, burn it completely. Do not take it back, do not leave it. Make sure to pick up and burn any bark that gets knocked off- those little pieces can have hundreds of insect eggs on them!
  • Tell your friends that in 2014, you have resolved not to move firewood

Thanks for everyone’s support this year, and have a Happy New Year!

Why do we talk about Christmas trees and wreaths?

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Christmas trees and general holiday greenery is really different stuff from firewood- so why do we do we put so much effort into getting out the word during the holiday season? Simply put, our year round readers ask us a lot of Christmas tree seasonal type questions, and we’ve decided to “give the people what they want!” Just like firewood, our advice is to buy local, and/or buy from a reputable dealer. Christmas trees are actually a pretty well regulated product, so as long as you are buying from a licensed local business, your potential to accidentally spread pests is very low.

Two new resources as of December 2013:

  • Did you know that you should look for, remove, and leave on site any birds nests you might accidentally find in a ‘wild’ cut Christmas tree? We had a great discussion on the topic on our Facebook account on December 17th, 2013
  • The invasive Balsam Woolly Adelgid doesn’t travel on firewood, but it can travel on contaminated Christmas trees and wreath or garland material. All the more reason to buy from a licensed local business, not a ‘fly by night’ tree dealer on the side of the road. Learn more about the threat of BWA to the Canaan Valley Fir here.

Visit our Holiday Greenery reference page for all current links and resources!

Happy Holiday season, everyone!

A few favorite resources for Firewood

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Ever wondered where Don't Move Firewood gets all its information? It is a mix of help from all the amazing partners we have (thanks, everyone!) and frequently scouring the internet for new ideas and information. Here's a few favorite places that help us think about firewood in the big picture.

 

  • USFS Forest Products Laboratory runs a great blog named Lab Notes. 
  • The EPA has a program named BurnWise that delves deeply into all sorts of wood burning questions.
  • There are a lot of great Twitter accounts useful to forest health education, here's a few handy ones that are updated quite frequently
  •   – @albtweets
  •   – @emeraldashborer
  •   – @foresthealth
  •   – @playcleango

 

Of course, there are a plethora of other websites with information on specific pests, regional issues, and other more specific concerns. But you have to start somewhere!

Christmas tree season!

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Will you be using the upcoming holiday weekend to cut down your own fresh, local, Christmas tree? Or maybe buy one at a local nursery yard or hardware store? Great!

Just like firewood, our advice is to buy local, and/or buy from a reputable dealer. Christmas trees are actually a pretty well regulated product, so as long as you are buying from a licensed local business, your potential to accidentally spread pests is very low.

We cover this topic every year, so visit our Holiday Greenery page, including our catchy “12 Tree Tips of Christmas,” for the most current information!

Happy Holiday Season!

Moving Firewood from Massachusetts to Connecticut?

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Tough one on the Dear Don't Move Firewood email hotline this weekend!

 

Dear Don't Move Firewood,

We sell firewood in Massachusetts, very close to Connecticut state line.  How far is too far to move firewood in MA and CT?  … We are only selling hardwood, no Pine, cut mostly in (Springfield area, MA).  We currently have a request from (Windsor Locks area, CT). (edited to combine correspondence)

Yours,

Firewood Seller in MA

 

Dear Firewood Seller in MA,

That's a tough one, because you crossing between two states with their own specific regulations. I got a little confused when I tried to figure out the exact answer, and ended up just calling the helpful folks at the Connecticut Agricultural Experimental Station to get the facts. Turns out that due to the firewood being from out-of-state, you'll need a permit (specifically, Connecticut Permit Application to Move Regulated Wood Articles). The good news is that the Springfield area of MA is not currently under quarantine nor regulation for any major pests, so it is reasonable to guess that you will be granted a permit. And moving firewood from Springfield area to a customer in the Windsor Locks CT area is a pretty short distance- 20 miles or less – so there isn't a compelling reason to think this is a problem if the permit is granted.

 

Good luck, and thanks for asking!

 

p.s. when in doubt, try consulting our map! We do our best to keep up to date in all 50 states and Canada.

 

 

 

From one part of Tennessee to the other?

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Dear Don't Move Firewood,

 

We have firewood from Estill Springs, TN and would like to transport it to Chattanooga to use in our fireplace. It is white oak and hickory. Thank you! (editors note: edited to shorten)

 

Yours,

Fireplace User

 

Dear Fireplace User,

 

The state of Tennessee has several invasive forest pests and a couple different regulations at play, so I asked two local experts- Tim Phelps with the Tennessee Division of Forestry and Elizabeth Long from the University of Tennessee Extension Service – to give me formal opinions. Their quotes are below, but the super short version is this- Estill Springs to Chattanooga with oak and hickory is technically legal, but at that distance, it is really not a great idea.

 

And here it is, first from Tim:

 

“Thank you so much for helping to protect our forests by trying not to spread pests. Your attention to the Don’t Move Firewood message is very encouraging and we hope you’ll continue to help spread the word, not the bugs.

 

The short answer to your question is that it would best to get your firewood from a more local source. The reality is that moving firewood from an infested hill to the other side moves it that much further. It is best to try to keep it within 10 miles; 50 miles is pushing it and that’s about the distance you are looking at. That said, there are currently no state regulations for moving firewood out of Franklin Co. However, please note that if you were to move firewood from Franklin Co. into Hamilton Co., you would be restricted from transporting it back out. Hamilton Co. is currently under quarantine for Emerald Ash Borer, which kills ash trees, and buffer regulated for Thousand Cankers Disease, which kills walnut trees. Each restriction prohibits the transport of firewood outside the county line. More information on these and other forest pests of Tennessee can be found on ProtectTNForests.org.”

 

And then from Elizabeth:

 

"Officially under the Thousand Cankers Disease State of Tennessee Quarantine, moving hardwood firewood from Franklin county to Hamilton county is not illegal.  The Quarantine prevents the movement of potentially infested hardwood firewood from inside the Quarantine area to (hopefully) non-infested areas outside the Quarantine area. 

 

If the residents are absolutely sure that these trees are white oak and hickory, not black walnut, then there no risk of spreading TCD by moving the firewood as the insects and disease are primarily found infesting black walnut.  The reason all hardwood firewood is regulated is that most people cannot tell hardwood tree species apart once the trees are cut into firewood.

 

More information on TCD and the quarantine may be found at:  https://www.tn.gov/agriculture/regulatory/tcd.shtml"

 

Halloween bug mask collection

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Viewed up close, the world of invasive insects is pretty amazing. Suddenly you see antennae that resemble golden cacti– or exuberant fluffy feathers. Mouths used for chewing leaves and trees turn out to have odd mustaches or scary brutal chompers. Perfect for Halloween!

(left to right: spongy moth, goldspotted oak borer, Asian longhorned beetle, walnut twig beetle, and emerald ash borer)

Don’t Move Firewood would like to introduce our new collection of ready-to-print invasive insect masks. Each mask comes with brief instructions and can be made using just string and crayons, or more ambitious mask artists can use (depending on the insect) suggestions of glitter, feathers, and yarn embellishments.

 

ED. NOTE: WE NOW HAVE ADDED PRE-COLORED INSECT MASKS FOR 2014!

 

These free masks are great for working with student groups, cub scouts, or anyone young at heart. We’re introducing them for Halloween for fun, but they are appropriate for any firewood and invasive forest insect outreach all year round.

 

To help you select a mask that applies well to the trees and issues where you live and work, below we’ve suggested just two each for of the USA’s and Canada’s basic regions. However, these are just suggestions, so feel free to look at all five insects if you’d like. Enjoy!

Northeastern USA, Mid Atlantic USA, and Eastern Canada

 

Great Lakes USA and Central Canada

 

Midwestern USA and Great Plains USA

 

Interior Western USA

 

Southwestern USA

 

Pacific Northwestern USA and Western Canada

 

Southeastern US

2013 Firewood Education and Regulation roundup

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Congratulations to ourselves! Don't Move Firewood just finished its annual roundup of state based firewood regulations and educational campaigns, and wow, that file is a doozy. You can download the excel spreadsheet here, or if you want a PDF (warning! many of the links do not work on the pdf version- but it does print out nicely) you can certainly download that here.

 

If you are just interested in looking up a specific state, please visit our State-by-State map page and select the state you are looking for. We have updated all 50 states and Canada, accurate as of October 3rd 2013.