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We’ve talked a lot here on Don’t Move Firewood about how forest pests can enter North America on or in the wood of packaging materials, such as pallets. One thing that we talk less about is that many pests also have reached our shores on imports of living plants. Examples of this problem include the hemlock woolly adelgid, winter moth, and the pathogen sudden oak death.

 

Until recently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has tried to prevent new introductions by physically inspecting plant shipments. However, finding pests is very difficult because pests can be tiny, non-symptomatic at the time of import, or just simply very well hidden inside the plant. And of course it is unrealistic to inspect anything more than a minute percentage of total imports.

 

Protecting our forests and other natural resources for pests demands a more effective approach.

 

Recognizing this need, APHIS recently created a “limbo” category, known by its lengthy acronym NAPPRA (Not Authorized Pending Pest Risk Analysis). When certain types of plants from specific countries are deemed likely to harbor a particular pest, APHIS can temporarily prohibit imports of these plants via NAPPRA while it analyzes the pest risk and adopts safeguards to ensure that imported plants will be as pest-free as possible.

 

Last week, APHIS took the first action under this new authority by listing 107 plant genera which are likely to transport one of 13 types of pests. For example, imports of birches, dogwoods, poplars, willows, and 70 other genera of trees and shrubs from Europe and much of Asia are prohibited because they could introduce to the U.S. the citrus longhorned beetle – a close relative of the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB). Citrus longhorned beetles are able to attack an even greater variety of trees than the ALB. Both these large beetles spend months deep inside trees as larvae and thus are very difficult to discover via inspections.

 

Of course, many of the pests being prevented by these new actions could, if established, travel on contaminated firewood. Here at Don’t Move Firewood we are excited that APHIS has begun applying their new NAPPRA authority to protect our forests. Exciting times!

 

NEWS RELEASE — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Sarah Volkman

svolkman@tnc.org
215.622.0557

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 20, 2013 – On the first day of spring, homeowners and gardeners nationwide are considering the annual task of cleaning up their yards and gardens to prepare for the growing season. This past winter has brought ample snow, rain and wind in most parts of the nation, knocking down more than the usual share of branches and even entire trees. 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.

 

“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 is the best way that homeowners can prevent spreading tree-killing pests as they clean up their yards and gardens this spring.”

 

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.

 

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.  “Symptoms might include unusual holes in trees, late or damaged leaf buds, or a pattern of dead tips on otherwise healthy branches. 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 this spring or summer. 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.

 

 

Tomorrow is the quirky celebration of Pi day, known to geometry students world wide as “that day when our teacher finally thinks it is smart to bring a delicious pie to school.” In case you don’t get the reference, Pi day is because of the amazing never ending number 3.14(etc) that is critical to calculating the dimensions of all circles and spheres. And tomorrow is 3/14.

Why are we mentioning Pi day? Well, here at Don’t Move Firewood, we are working hard to protect your pies for generations to come. Like the traditional apple pie! Apple trees are under threat from many pests that move on firewood, including spongy moth and of course the light brown apple moth.

The Dear Don't Move Firewood column that we post periodically is taken directly from emails that we receive here at the website. One letter that we got this weekend was so specific, however, that we can't really run it without compromising someone's identity. Intriguing, right?

 

I'll leave you hanging, but the substantial takeaway messages are the same as always.

• – Moving firewood 90 miles across a single state is too far, and not a good idea. Especially, of course, if the state has multiple quarantined counties for multiple pests.
• – If you find out someone has moved firewood that far, and you are able to kindly persuade them to immediately burn all the wood they moved, that is the best option.
• – When you are having trouble convincing someone that they should not move firewood, try finding someone they WILL listen to as backup. Maybe they have a friend that is a Master Gardener? Or can you find an article in the online archives of your local newspaper?

 

And best of all, you can always submit your questions to us here at Don't Move Firewood for a neutral assessment of the situation. We are helpful, usually prompt, and pretty well versed in national and local regulations.

 

Good luck. Email us at info at dont move firewood dot org to submit your questions!

NEWS RELEASE — For Immediate Release

Contact: Sarah Volkman, 215-622-0557
svolkman@tnc.org

 

BIRD WATCHERS URGED TO LOOK FOR SIGNS OF TREE PESTS DURING ANNUAL GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT

Looking for sickly or damaged trees and shrubs during the annual bird count can help preserve vital wildlife habitats.

Arlington, VA—February 15, 2013— This weekend, bird watchers worldwide participating in the 16th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), February 15-18, are encouraged to look for and report signs of tree pests like the emerald ash borer, Asian longhorned beetle, and many more. During the bird count, participants simply watch birds at any location for at least 15 minutes, tally the numbers of each species they see, and report their tallies online. While conducting these surveys, bird watchers are also encouraged to look at the birds’ habitats for signs of invasive insects and diseases.

 

“The Great Backyard Bird Count is an ideal opportunity for bird watchers to check the trees for signs of invasive pests like Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) and Emerald Ash Borer (EAB),” said Jennifer Forman Orth, State Plant Pest Survey Coordinator at the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. “The damage from these insects can easily be seen in winter, when there are no leaves on the trees, and birdwatchers are typically armed with a pair of binoculars that will help them check high-up branches for the perfectly round holes left by ALB in maples and other hardwoods, or the D-shaped exit holes and increased woodpecker activity associated with EAB infestations in ash trees.”

 

Many of the forest pests and diseases that affect trees can be stopped or slowed if they are found and treated early enough by the proper authorities. The Nature Conservancy’s Don’t Move Firewood program works with USDA APHIS and many state agencies nationwide encouraging people to report all signs of potential forest pests.

 

“Trees and forests are an essential part of our lives, and they provide shade and shelter, jobs and products, and clean air and water. From tree-lined neighborhood streets to national parks, we count on trees to provide benefits today and for generations to come,” says Bill Toomey, Director of Forest Health Protection for The Nature Conservancy. “That’s why it’s critical for everyone to be aware of the trees around them, and to report the signs of destructive tree pests to the proper authorities.”

 

Participants in the Great Backyard Bird Count should report any suspicious damage or signs of forest pests as soon as they have concluded entering their bird data. Bird watchers are encouraged to take digital photos of any damage observed, identify the species of tree with the damage if possible, and then report findings using websites or state hotlines. Below is a sampling of websites for regionally and nationally important invasive forest pests.

 

• Asian longhorned beetle, https://www.beetlebusters.info
• Emerald ash borer, https://www.emeraldashborer.info/call.cfm
• Thousand Cankers Disease of Walnut, https://thousandcankers.com
• Spongy Moth, https://www.hungrypests.com/YourMoveGypsyMothFree/
• Goldspotted Oak Borer, https://www.gsob.org
• Sudden Oak Death, https://www.suddenoakdeath.org/
• Laurel Wilt, https://www.fs.fed.us/r8/foresthealth/laurelwilt/
• For other pests of high interest to the United States Department of Agriculture, please look up the appropriate state on the map at https://www.hungrypests.com/

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To learn more about Don’t Move Firewood, visit https://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.

 

Let's finish up this week right with a question for our advice column, Dear Don't Move Firewood.

 

Dear Don't Move Firewood,

 

Can I bring either or both Cottonwood and/or Pecan firewood into California from Arizona?  I have relatives there  and access to such wood…. I would be bringing the wood on the I-10 through the Blythe area. The Cottonwood would be coming from Globe, AZ and the Pecan from the Gilbert/Phoenix area.  I'm not sure which I would get, probably the Pecan as I think it may burn better? (Ed. note: question lightly edited for clarity)

 

Thanks,

Jim from California

 

Dear Jim,

 

I posed your question to the local expert, Don Owen from the Calif. Dept. of Forestry and Fire Protection. He's the chair of the California Firewood Task Force. Here's his response:

 

"The CA Firewood Task Force does not recommend bringing firewood of any kind into the state unless it has been treated to eliminated pests.  There is no quarantine that prevents the movement of this wood, but if it is infested with insects or other pests, the CA Agricultural Border Stations may confiscate and destroy it."

 

My opinion, as the manager of Don't Move Firewood, is that moving cottonwood and pecan wood this far is really not a good idea and you shouldn't do it. Even if you lived in Blythe (which it looks like you live farther West into CA given your email, but setting that aside) you'd be moving this wood over 240 miles- that's almost five times the very maximum recommended distance for moving firewood.

 

There are many tree pests even in the arid areas of Arizona that you'd risk transporting. Did you know that the goldspotted oak borer, which has killed tens of thousands of oaks in San Diego County, might have gotten there from firewood originating in Arizona? You'd hate to be responsible for killing tens of thousands of California pecan trees, accidentally, if your wood had some previously unknown pests within it.

 

So here's the bottom line- please don't move that firewood. Truthfully, it wouldn't be against the law to do it, but it isn't a good decision, and it may end up confiscated at the CA border anyway.

 

Thanks for asking!

 

 

 

 

There is a new study just released that shows there is a link between losing a lot of trees in your neighborhood and declining health of the residents in that area. It is a fascinating read, and it underscores the critical importance of not bringing in firewood from far away (which can start an infestation that then decimates the trees) and also reporting any odd pests or damage quickly, so that you might lose one tree instead of all of them.

 

One thing I think gets a little lost in some of the other reporting of this article is that the emerald ash borer really has nearly nothing to do with the big picture. The scientists used neighborhoods that had been infested with EAB not because there is something particularly dangerous or bad about EAB, but because it is a pest that kills a lot of trees in many places. This same study could have easily been done with neighborhoods affected by Dutch Elm Disease in the 1930's and 1940's, for instance (had the technology and information been there for the research, of course). Likewise, it is important to remember that control methods for EAB, ALB, and other insects and diseases remove trees from neighborhoods that are going to lose all their trees no matter what. It isn't like ignoring the pests and dead and dying trees results in less damage. In fact, the most direct result of not controlling pests is the loss of more trees over the long run.

 

 

 

 

We have a list of Frequently Asked Questions that addresses the perennial “how far is too far?” and a few other questions. But what about the other things people ask? Let’s try to read your mind…

Why didn’t I hear about this 20 years ago? Seriously, is this a new problem, or what?

You can easily argue that accidentally moving pests on contaminated firewood has been a problem pretty much since the invention of the automobile. The first problematic invasive forest pests on record arrived in North America in the late 1800’s, and some of them (like spongy moth) move easily on firewood. However, the issue has only gained national traction since scientists and land managers reached a good understanding of the huge role that firewood has played in the spread of emerald ash borer (EAB). EAB was discovered in the USA in 2002, so in that regard the problem is indeed new to the public eye.

Who runs this website?

The Nature Conservancy is the manager of the international Don’t Move Firewood campaign, and operates this website on a day-to-day basis. We also have a lot of partner organizations that help us craft our overall strategies and messages on the website from time to time.

How is this all funded?

Don’t Move Firewood has a wide variety of funding groups, with the current largest being funds from USDA-APHIS. We are proud to list all our funding sources here.

I see that most of your blogs are written by L. Greenwood. Is that the same L. Greenwood as this?

Nope. Totally different L. Greenwood.