Category: Pests in the News

Here at Don’t Move Firewood, we get a lot of interesting ideas and news from our Contact Us page. Not infrequently, we get people that want to promote a legitimate product to replace conventional cut-wood firewood, something like a compressed sawdust log, or a pressed wood log, or pellets, or some other reclaimed wood product.

For the record; as long as there are minimal or, ideally, no other products (glue, solvent, etc) and the wood source in the “log” is well-conceived (reclaimed, waste product, recycled sawdust, sustainably sourced scrap wood, small diameter thinned wood, fire salvage wood, whatever), we DO agree that your product is a viable replacement for the occasional firewood user. And if it is made from either heat treated material, or material processed into very small pieces, then we also agree it is generally safe to move long distances.

However, we do not promote these items. There are two reasons for this;

1) Don’t Move Firewood is part of a non-profit. As such, we cannot confer gain upon a for-profit-entity. Bluntly, we can’t promote your product because the government says that we can’t, and we play strictly by their rules.

2) Firewood is, at its core, not the problem. The decentralized movement of firewood by both individuals and firewood distributors, sometimes going long distances, is the problem. Firewood replacement products, which represent a small part of the firewood market, are therefore not the answer to the most pressing issue.

We think many of your products are great, and please keep up the good work. But we can’t promote them, and to say they solve the problem misses the bigger picture that free and untreated firewood is always going to be out there, and people need to learn not to move it long distances.

All our favorite facebook, twitter, and email accounts are buzzing today with the news of the newly released scientific paper on live tree pests (both insects and other arthropods) that emerge from firewood. You can read an excellent short summary of the paper here, titled Insects Found in Nearly 50% of Retail Firewood, or you can read the whole paper here if you have a subscription.

 

The one highlight that really sticks out for me is that live insects emerged from 47% of the firewood bundles in the study. That means that half of the firewood could have served to create a new insect infestation.

 

We'll report on this study more once we've had a chance to read the whole thing!

 

 

Our annual Spring Cleaning press release is ready for business! I hope we get a lot of coverage, and here it is in its entirety;

 

BEWARE OF UNWANTED GARDEN AND TREE PESTS DURING SPRING CLEANUP

Tree-killing insects and diseases can be spread when disposing of yard waste

ARLINGTON, VA—March 21, 2012–With the arrival of spring, homeowners and gardeners are beginning the task of cleaning up their yards and gardens to prepare for the growing season. Spring also can bring rain and wind, knocking down branches and trees weakened by ice or late winter storms. Gardeners, landscapers, and anyone working outside this spring need to know that tree branches, firewood, and cleared brush can harbor invasive insects and diseases, making proper use or disposal critical to preventing the spread of tree-killing pests.

 

More than 450 non-native forest insects and diseases are now established in the United States. While most can’t move far on their own, many pests can hitchhike undetected on firewood and brush, starting new infestations in locations hundreds of miles away. These infestations can destroy forests, lower property values, and cost huge sums of money to control. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, estimates for damage costs in urban areas for just one invasive pest, the Asian longhorned beetle, range from $1.7 billion for nine selected cities to $669 billion for the entire United States.

 

“Even experts can’t always detect a couple of pin-head size insect eggs or a few microscopic fungus spores hidden in wood; however, these tiny threats are enough to destroy an entire forest,” said Leigh Greenwood, Don’t Move Firewood campaign manager, The Nature Conservancy.  “Disposing of tree debris, brush, and other yard waste either on site or through municipal composting are the best ways that homeowners can prevent spreading tree-killing pests as they clean up their yards and gardens this spring.”

 

Pest infestations can take years to be recognized by the authorities because sometimes trees appear healthy despite harboring harmful organisms. Many states have either regulations or quarantines relating to the movement of raw logs, unprocessed wood, or firewood. Depending on the types of problems present in a given state, these regulations might include cut firewood, raw logs under a certain length, high risk species of trees or brush, or other woody materials.  Some of the invasive pests that have prompted both federal and state quarantines include the emerald ash borer, Asian longhorned beetle, spongy moth, pine shoot beetle, sudden oak death, sirex wood wasp, and the hemlock woolly adelgid.

 

“During the spring, people also can be on the lookout for signs of invasive pests as they work in their yards and gardens,” said Greenwood.  “Although these insects and diseases can sometimes be difficult to detect, observant, concerned citizens are usually the ones who discover new infestations.”

 

Tips for spring cleanup:

 

• If you don’t want to keep your firewood until next winter, don’t be tempted to take it with you when camping, and don’t bring it along on any road trips. Instead, you can give it to your next-door neighbor, burn or chip it on site, or dispose of it locally.
• Hire a tree service or rent a tree chipper to shred fallen trees and branches and brush into mulch for your own garden beds and landscaping projects.
• Many areas now offer a yard waste recycling program. Contact your municipal solid waste management department for information specific to your area.
• If a yard waste recycling or composting program is not available, and you cannot keep it on site, brush, logs, and branches should be disposed of in a local landfill.
• Take care to respect all state and local regulations on the movement of firewood and other unprocessed wood – some areas are subject to serious fines for violations. For more information, visit https://www.dontmovefirewood.org/the-problem/state-state-information/index.html.
• During your spring cleanup, if you notice an insect or tree disease you don’t recognize, take a photo or obtain a specimen of it, and compare it to Web site photos of the suspected pest. A good resource to help in identification is: https://www.dontmovefirewood.org/gallery-of-pests.
• If you believe you have found a new outbreak of an invasive insect or disease, contact your state department of agriculture: https://www.rma.usda.gov/other/stateag.html.

 

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To learn more about how to prevent forest pests from destroying forests, log onto 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.

 

 

Perhaps no single food is as threatened by forest pests as is Maple Syrup. Today, Don't Move Firewood put out a press release to talk about how moving firewood threatens this delicious traditional food;

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U.S. Maple Syrup Industry at Risk

 

The Asian longhorned beetle could put an end to an American staple at the breakfast table

 

ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — As winter begins to wane, the maple sugaring season begins in the Northeast and the Midwest. The centuries-old tradition of tapping maple trees for sap to make syrup is threatened by the spread of the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), which kills maple trees and travels on infested firewood. Because these beetles are not native to this continent, they have no effective natural predators, and native trees have no resistance to their tunneling and chewing. 

 

ALB infestations have occurred in several maple syrup-producing states. The most recent infestation, which threatens the Midwest, was found in June 2011 near Cincinnati, Ohio. Eradication efforts are underway, including the tragic but necessary removal of many mature maple trees. The infestation of ALB discovered in the Worcester, MA area in August 2008 poses a particularly serious threat to New England's maples, because of the large area the beetles had infested before being discovered. Earlier infestations of the beetle were found in both New York and New Jersey, but the beetle is believed to be under control in those two states. Throughout the region, state officials are vigilant for new infestations.

 

"Because some people don't realize that moving firewood can spread this tree-killing beetle, more infestations may be discovered in other cities and towns in maple-producing areas," said Leigh Greenwood, Don't Move Firewood campaign manager, The Nature Conservancy. "Once an infestation occurs, the only way to stop the Asian longhorned beetle's spread is to cut down all the infested and host trees – impacting property owners and local communities and posing a huge threat to the maple syrup industry."

 

While these pests cannot move far on their own, when people move firewood that harbors them, they unwittingly enable these pests to start an infestation far from their current range. A visual inspection cannot easily detect these pests since they can be hidden in the layers of wood beneath the bark.

 

"It might seem like a good idea to obtain some firewood from another area, or to take along firewood when going camping, but just one log can start a new infestation of the Asian longhorned beetle or other tree-killing pests," said Greenwood. "By buying locally harvested wood, people can help protect their trees by not risking the accidental movement of insects and diseases that can affect entire forests."

 

"Ongoing efforts in awareness and education about invasive insects and the Don't Move Firewood message are very important. We want to stress as an industry that the potential loss from Asian longhorned beetle will far exceed the upfront costs of prevention," said Dave Chapeskie, executive director of the International Maple Syrup Institute. "Other invasive insects like the emerald ash borer threaten the integrity of the sugar bush, even if they don't directly threaten the sugar maples."

 

Following are tips from the Don't Move Firewood campaign:

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• Obtain firewood near the location where you will burn it – that means the wood was cut in a nearby forest, in the same county, or a maximum of 50 miles from where you'll have your fire.
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• Don't be tempted to bring firewood home just because the wood looks clean and healthy. It could still harbor tiny insect eggs or microscopic fungal spores that could start a new and deadly infestation of forest pests.
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• Aged or seasoned wood is not considered safe to move, but commercially kiln-dried wood is a good option if you must transport firewood.
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• If you have already moved firewood, and you need to dispose of it safely, burn it soon and completely. Make sure to rake the storage area carefully and also burn the debris. In the future, buy from a local source.
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• Take care to respect all state and local regulations on firewood movement – some areas are subject to serious fines for violations. For more information, visit your state agricultural department's web site: https://www.rma.usda.gov/other/stateag.html.
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• Tell your friends and others about the risks of moving firewood – no one wants to be responsible for starting a new pest infestation.

 

To learn more about how to prevent forest pests from destroying forests, log onto 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.

Congratulations to the smart folks that worked tirelessly to pass a firewood preventative measure in Oregon! Starting in a little over a year, firewood that is sold in Oregon will need to either be from a neighboring state, or kiln (high heat) dryed and labeled. Here at Don’t Move Firewood, we think this is a great step forward to protect the forests of the Pacific Northwest, and we’ll be working to spread the word about this law- and any information how the preparation for implementation goes in 2012- as we learn more!

To learn more, visit the Oregon Laws site: https://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/570.720