Category: dear don’t move firewood

Dear Don’t Move Firewood,

I am trying to bring oak firewood into New Mexico from Texas. Is there any legal way this is possible?

Yours, Law Abiding Texan

Dear Law Abiding Texan,

The answer to your question is straightforward. If you live in an Imported Fire Ant quarantined county (see map here) within the state of Texas, it is illegal to move firewood that has been stored outside on the ground into the state of New Mexico. Now, if you live in a non-quarantined county (this is some of the Western-most and Northern-most sections of Texas) it would be technically legal, but not a great idea. Moving firewood more than 50 miles is not suggested- the risk that you are moving a pest or pathogen to a new region becomes much greater with each passing mile.

So when would it be both legal and generally permissable to move firewood from Texas to New Mexico? If you lived on a western border county in Texas and were bringing it just to a nearby town in New Mexico. That’d be fine, as it would both be legal (not quarantined) and not too far (within roughly 50 miles).

Sincerely,

Don’t Move Firewood staff

For more information, we suggest:

• Texas State Summary
• New Mexico State Summary
• USDA APHIS Imported Fire Ant General Information Page
• USDA APHIS Imported Fire Ant Map (Map of Lower 48 states or Map of S.E. USA zoomed in)

 

Dear Don't Move Firewood,

Can I take pine cones with me when I travel?

Yours,

Pine Cone Lover

 

Dear Pine Cone Lover,

Pine cones can carry lots of pests of pine trees, so this is a good question.

 

When you talk about any sort of insect-spreading risk, it is important to be realistic to the actual threat. For instance, in all likelyhood, it is fine to take a few pine cones with you from the forest to your house or cabin for the purposes of table decorating. The chance that just a few cones could spread a pest or disease- especially if they are isolated in your house- is low. However, when you are done, the cones should be disposed of in the trash- not put outside in the backyard nor composted. By throwing them away in the trash, it becomes a lot less likely that pests of pines could emerge into the surrounding natural habitat later on.

 

In terms of moving large numbers of pine cones, that is not a good idea. Like I said before, many types of pests of pine can be found in cones- which you could then be exposing to pines in new places. Pests like the western conifer seed bug, various species of cone maggots, and others can emerge from cones. So please, don't move large amounts of pine cones- that's not a good idea and even could be in violations of quarantines in some areas.

 

Thanks for asking!

Dear Don’t Move Firewood-

I’m getting ready for a big roadtrip- heading to Yellowstone, the Tetons, and then down into Utah for Zion, Arches- maybe even Escalante. Can I buy all my firewood in (hometown) Idaho, and then just use it as I go?

Signed, Excited Roadtripper!

Dear Roadtripper,

Sounds like an awesome trip, and I hope you have a great time. In the big Western states of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Utah, the state and federal groups generally advise using firewood from the same region as where you are burning it. For instance, when camping in Southern Utah, you should be burning firewood you got in central or southern Utah. But it isn’t advisable to be bringing firewood all the way from, say, northern Wyoming down to southern Utah. There are many forest pests- both native and non-native – that you could be accidentally transporting to a new area.

You might have noticed that some of your camping reservation slips have a warning message like this: “Some federal agencies have imposed quarantines on transporting firewood. Please check with your camping destination about firewood restrictions. Visit https://dontmovefirewood.org for more information.”

If so, the best suggestion is for you to go to our map at dontmovefirewood.org/map and check if the destination state lists regulations that might apply to your camping stay. If no regulations appear to apply, the recommendation is simple- buy firewood near where you’ll burn it, use it all before you leave your campsite, and don’t take it from park to park to park! Thanks for asking, and have an excellent roadtrip.

Related Blog: Nine National Park Firewood Policies

Dear Don’t Move Firewood,

Some wood is resistant to bugs, such as eucalyptus.  Is it banned from Utah forests?

Yours,

Inquisitive Firewood User

 

Dear Inquisitive Firewood User,

You’ve got a good two part question here- is a wood like eucalyptus (which is rot and insect resistant) safe to move, and also what are the regulations in Utah. Let’s do them in reverse order.

 

At this time, Utah does not explicitly ban all firewood from out of state, so it would be legal to bring wood from some nearby states in most cases. Essentially, as long as the wood isn’t under quarantine (such as hardwood from an emerald ash borer infested area, or wood stored on the ground in an imported fire ant infested area), you could bring it to Utah. You can look up a quick summary of Utah’s recommendations on our map. Now, just because it is a legal action doesn’t mean we recommend moving firewood into Utah forests from out of state, so please remember the rule of thumb is still not to move it over 50 miles from wood source to campfire location.

 

Separately, an important thing to take into account is that some forest pests – such as the very damaging European spongy moth– don’t live inside the wood itself, but instead they lay eggs on the wood after it has been cut. So even resistant woods like eucalyptus can pose a hazard in those situations. Further, if you live in an area under quarantine for Imported Fire Ant, they can infest any firewood that is stored right on the ground and it is illegal to move firewood from those areas.

 

Good luck, and thanks for asking!

 

Links to learn more:

• Clickable map of North American Firewood Regulations and Recommendations
• Emerald Ash Borer Federal Quarantine and Authorized Transit map
• European Spongy Moth North America Quarantine Map
• Imported Fire Ant information and map archives

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:

• Missouri’s Map Summary
• Colorado’s Map Summary
• Emerald Ash Borer Federal Quarantine and Authorized Transit map

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.

 

 

 

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"

 

Our advice column is in high demand! Wow! Keep it coming.

 

Dear Don't Move Firewood,

We are going camping twice in the next few weeks and would like to know if we can take our own firewood. We live in (northwestern) PA and will be going to (west central) NY and then also to (west central) PA. Could you tell us if we can transport our own wood, and in general, if and where can we ever transport wood? Thank you.

Yours,

Camper

 

Dear Camper,

You've got three questions here, so let's do them each one at a time.

 

1. Can you move firewood from your town in PA to your camping destination in NY?

Nope, that'd be illegal. New York prohibits the movement of untreated firewood from out of state, and also prohibits movement over 50 miles (your distance is more than that). You'll need to purchase wood near your NY camping area. Here's the pertinent link on that one; https://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/44008.html

 

2. Can you move firewood from your town in PA to where you want to camp in PA?

Your proposed trip is farther than 50 miles away, and the state agencies of PA strongly discourage moving firewood that far. From a strictly legal perspective, because you are not in a federally quarantined county, it is permissable. But it is not a great idea. Read more here: https://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/thingstoknow/firewoodadvisory/

 

3. In general, where can you ever transport wood?

This is a great question. If you are moving firewood a short distance (under 10 miles), and you are not in a quarantined area, and you are not crossing any major boundaries of states or counties, that's pretty much considered fine to do. For instance, if I cut up a tree in my backyard because it was too close to the house and I was worried it'd blow over in a storm, and I wanted to take it across town to my uncles place (let's say its a 20 minute drive) because he has a wood burning stove, that's fine. Now- take note. If I was cutting that same tree down because it was killed by some unknown bug, and it was riddled with holes and woodpecker damage, I would NOT take it to my uncle's house, because I might spread whatever was in my tree to his property. Instead, I'd burn it in my backyard fire pit whenever I wanted to roast some hot dogs.

 

Hope that helps!

Dear Don't Move Firewood,

I have broken pieces of 1×12 spruce that is kiln dried. It is used for building shelves, etc. It is not pressure treated, stained or painted. Can I bring it from Canada to the USA to burn as firewood?

Yours,

Firewood User

 

Dear Firewood User,
Your question initially had me stumped, because the regulations for border crossing depend on your direction of crossing, and also what type of wood you are bringing over the border. So let's review: you are going from Canada to the USA, so we need to know the US Customs and Border Protection regulation. And spruce is a "softwood" species (like pine).

 

Here's your answer; it can be brought from Canada to the US if it is clearly labeled as per this excerpt from the US Customs and Border Protection Firewood FAQ

Softwood (such as spruce, pine, fir, etc.) firewood (non-commercial) must be accompanied by a treatment certificate or attached commercial treatment label declaring that the firewood was heat treated at 56 C (minimal core temperature) for 30 minutes and an inspection free from pest.

 

There! So, if your 1×12 spruce has heat treatment stamps, or stapled on labels that indicate that it is kiln dried (both are possible) then you should probably be OK. But if your wood is entirely unlabeled, you stand a fair chance of having it confiscated at the border, which would be a waste of wood and you might be subject to fines. Now, I sort of doubt that your scrap wood is labeled, so even though kiln dried clean scrap that was stored inside is pretty darn safe firewood, you are still subject to the regulation as written… so it might be best to just use it on site and not try to bring it over the border.

 

Good luck, and I hope you enjoy your trip!

 

The Dear Don’t Move Firewood hotline is jumping this week! Thanks to everyone that writes in- keeps us nice and busy, and keeps all our readers thinking about firewood.

Dear Don’t Move Firewood,

Is it OK to bring my own Presto logs to burn?  Or wood pellets?  Both of these are distributed all over North America, often far from the place where they were made.

Thanks,

‘Fake Log’ Firewood User

Dear FLFU,

It is OK! Not only is it OK, it is a great alternative to standard firewood. I can’t say yes or no for any particular brand of ‘fake log’ firewood (Presto being just one of many, many acceptable brands out there), but anything that has been finely chipped or pelletized, kiln dried, and then recompressed into logs is very safe to move. If you ever have any doubt about a quarantine or boundary that you need to cross with your processed firewood, don’t unwrap or open the packaging until you arrive at your destination. If the product is still in the original wrapper, it is abundantly obvious these aren’t natural logs, and all marks of heat treatment and processing are easily seen in case of a problem.

Personally, I would tend towards a fake log product that is compressed and made into a log shape without the use of glues and binding agents, just to minimize the potential chemicals that I might inhale once it is burned. There are lots of great products out there to choose from, so do a little shopping around to find one that seems best for you.

For more on compressed and processed wood products and why we cannot endorse any particular brand or product, even though we think the product category as a whole is a great thing, please read our complete blog on that topic: Compressed wood, fake logs, pellets, and more