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Don't Move Firewood offers a lot of free goods and services to anyone doing education or outreach about the hazards of spreading pests on firewood. We give away tens of thousands of our materials each year, create dozens of custom posters for various state and local entities, and serve as a focal point for the efforts of many campaigns that need a centralized and accurate website to anchor their outreach messaging. But their is one thing we do that is almost free, very effective at reaching the public, and really funny- and that's our costume share program.

 

Through the last five years, we've needed to acquire two bug costumes (emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle) and a costume that looks like a piece of firewood for our use in making educational videos. And during the mid-summer months, we use those costumes at our own outreach events, like farmers markets and music festivals. But the rest of the year, instead of being ensconced in mothballs, those costumes are available to anyone that asks- for nearly free. We merely ask that anyone that wants it for an outreach event must cover the cost of shipping and insurance. So where do our costumes go from September to May? And what do they do?

 

Parades in New York and Thunder Bay, Canada. Landscaping Expos in Massachusetts and Colorado. Campground fireside chats in New Hampshire. This fall, our EAB costume is already booked for the World Championship of Little League in PA- especially appropriate because of the threat to ash trees and baseball bats.

 

We share our costumes because we are constantly trying to think of the best (and most cost effective) way to share every aspect of our campaign across all of North America. Do you have a need for an emerald ash borer costume? Asian longhorned beetle costume? Or our very funny firewood costume? Email us at info@dontmovefirewood.org, and describe your dates needed, costume preference, and what event(s) it would be for, and we'll see if it is available. Resources as quirky and cool as bug costumes are meant to be shared.

From Acadia to Yosemite, as camping seasons approaches, a lot of folks are going to want to bring firewood into the National Parks. And informed people are probably going to be thinking, "Is this legal? Is this a good idea?" Well, here we go!

 

Dear Don't Move Firewood,

I will be camping in Acadia in August,on the way there I will be visiting relatives in New Harbor ME. Am I able to bring firewood from Pemaquid Point into Acadia? 

Thank you,

Toby

 

Dear Toby,

Excellent question- you bring up three crucial points in this simple idea.

1) Is the within-state movement of wood from "Pemaquid Point into Acadia" too far? Or is it OK?

2) Can within-state wood be brought into National Parks?

3) Can within-state wood go into Acadia, specifically?

 

So let's do this one at a time

 

1) Is Pemaquid Point into Acadia National Park too far? Simple answer; Too far. I asked Google Maps, and the road distance is listed as 119 miles. As the coastline of Maine is quite convoluted, with the roads being very twisty, I'll allow that maybe as the bug flies it is more like 80 miles. That's still far more than the recommended upper limit (50 miles) for within-state movement of firewood. The 50 mile limit is our rule of thumb here at Don't Move Firewood, and it is also what the Maine Forest Service uses on its website (maine.gov/firewood).

 

2) Can within-state wood be brought into National Parks? Complicated answer; Really depends on the park. For instance, Yosemite discourages firewood from more than 50 miles away, while Great Smoky Mountains has some very strongly worded regulations that prohibit the entrance of firewood from most places. The best advice I can provide is if you are coming from within 50 miles of the park, and feel strongly that you want to bring your own wood, then you should use the power of the internet to figure out if it is permissible or not. The best idea is to just leave it at home, of course.

 

3) Can within-state wood go into Acadia, specifically? Simple answer; They want you to leave firewood at home. The Acadia National Park website says, "Firewood brought in from other areas may contain non-native insect species that pose a serious threat to Acadia National Park's resources… Please leave your firewood at home." So that's a pretty strong statement. Park officials do not want you to bring firewood into the park.

 

So Toby, here's your final answer. Pemaquid Point is too far away to safely bring firewood to Acadia. Also, Acadia's staff ask that you do not bring firewood. Therefore- please do not take firewood from your relative's place all the way to Acadia. Buy it in-park, or near the edge of the park, instead.

 

Thanks!

 

 

Dear Don't Move Firewood,

 

For this to work, you really need suppliers not to hike up their prices.  Which I  have run into, trying to be "good"  Also, how come a place like Stop and Shop can sell wood from different states?

 

Sincerely,

Tim

 

Dear Tim,

 

I agree. I hope that firewood dealers all across the nation are taking this not as an opportunity to make more money off of small bundles, but instead to increase the amount of wood they sell overall. But the key to this is demand- in order for firewood cutters and vendors to make enough money and keep their prices low, they need to have a lot of sales.

 

As a regular person, what you can do to help is talk to the campground host or firewood dealer. Tell them that you think it is really important to keep the prices at a level that doesn't alienate the consumer. Change comes slowly, and don't forget to be courteous.

 

In terms of your second question, the answer is that interstate commerce- even for firewood- is pretty well regulated. Therefore, for one state to receive firewood from another, there was probably some level of inspection of the product. Now, here at Don't Move Firewood we don't normally advocate for visual inspection of firewood because it is too tough, but in this case the assumption is that the firewood is from a reputable dealer that is certified and in compliance with all state and federal regulations. So the risk of that firewood containing pests is quite low- far lower than firewood you'd cut from wood in your own backyard, or firewood from the back of some stranger's pickup truck on a country highway.

 

Just another episode of our advice column!

 

 

 

 

Firewood Outreach and Educational Specialists of North America! Are you listening? We have a lot of materials to help you engage with the public on the topic of forest pests and the movement of firewood. All you have to do is tell us how you are planning on using our materials, what sort of demographic group you will be interacting with (i.e. kids vs. adults from the general public vs. a Master Gardeners class) and give us an estimated number of what you need. From there, we work with you to send out the materials that best suit your needs.

 

Intrigued? We have brochures, posters, fake tattoos, frisbees, water bottles, and more. These things serve the purpose of getting people to talk to you, getting them to think, and in the end- getting them "to buy it where you burn it, and don't move firewood."

 

Request materials by emailing us; info (at) dontmovefirewood DOT org. Make sure to include your parcel address, a good justification of where the materials will go, and an estimate of how many people you'll be interacting with. If you need things by a deadline (i.e. you want them a week before Earth Day) please indicate that specifically in the email.

 

Hope to hear from you soon…

We got a great question from a visitor over the New Years weekend. Here goes another episode of…

 

Dear Don't Move Firewood,

 

I am moving from Central Arizona to Victorville California and have some firewood that was cut in Yavapai County.  Can I bring it with me to use in my new home?

 

Thanks,

Richard

 

Dear Richard,

 

Please don't do this. While I'm fairly certain that it isn't directly illegal, it is a really bad idea. There are too many possibilities for spreading pests, whether forest pests or other pests like fire ants, termites, you name it. You sure don't want to bring those to your new yard!

 

Did you know that the goldspotted oak borer, a pest in California that has already killed tens of thousands of oak trees, probably came from firewood brought from Arizona or perhaps Mexico? Yup- just that short hop across the Mojave and the little spotted beetle went from a mild mannered native insect to a rampant killer of hundred year old oaks.

 

The California border is pretty tightly controlled for agricultural pests. There is a good chance that even if you decide to bring it with you despite our advice, they could confiscate it at the border. It really isn't worth the trouble- I know you have good intentions, but please- leave it at your old place, and let the new owners enjoy it. You'll be doing yourself, and California, a favor. 

 

 (Last updated for 2023 Holiday Season)

Now that Christmas has come and gone, let’s talk about how that tree can be disposed of properly. Here are the do’s and don’ts of Christmas tree disposal.

DO: Take advantage of any local Christmas tree recycling program. Usually this means curbside (with your trash) pickup of the trees during a set time period, or you drop the trees off at a central depot somewhere in your town or city. Look in your newspaper or check online (searching for “Christmas tree recycling” and then the name of your town, as in “Christmas Tree Recycling Las Vegas” usually works best) for options near you. In some areas, locally sourced trees are used by the local Natural Resources groups to improve habitat for people or animals.

DO: Play it safe. If you can’t find a local Christmas Tree Recycling program (best choice!), just take it to your local municipal composting facility, solid waste facility, dump, or landfill. These choices are the safest way to dispose of your tree when it comes to risking the emergence and spread of forest pests or invasive weeds that could be hidden in your tree’s needles, bark, or wood.

DON’T: Burn your Christmas tree in your fireplace or wood stove. The sap from fresh trees can sometimes create a fire hazard in your chimney or vent piping. Not worth the risk! While promptly burning your tree (midwinter) in an outside bonfire could be OK if local laws and practical safety allow, indoor burning isn’t a good idea because of this safety concern.

DON’T: Set the tree out in your backyard – whether intended for birds, as a windbreak, or to compost later. Over the winter and into springtime many sorts of pests, weed seeds, and tree diseases could emerge and contaminate your property. It might seem like a harmless idea, but it really could result in a big negative impact.

For the full scoop, visit our Holiday Greenery page!

Thanks for reading!

 

You may have seen the stickers out there- Don’t Move Firewood, it bugs me. And sometimes people email us to ask- where do they come from? Are they from the Don’t Move Firewood campaign itself?

 

I have answers!

 

The “Don’t Move Firewood, it bugs me” bumper stickers (well, bumper magnets) are a product of another group working on the firewood problem- specifically, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Emerald ash borer team. These magnets are great, because they are eye catching, widespread, and get the message across. But no, we don’t make them ourselves here at Don’t Move Firewood.

 

You might notice at the bottom of the magnet, below “it bugs me,” is a link to emeraldashborer.info, which is a very informative website about one of the most harmful pests that travel on firewood, the emerald ash borer. If you want to learn about that bug, you should totally visit their site.

 

Lastly, I wanted to take the time to thank USDA-APHIS for sending the Don’t Move Firewood campaign team a whopping 10,000 of these magnets for our summer outreach project this year. We are really excited to be able to use our outreach booth to benefit both their group, and our group, towards our common goal of firewood outreach. Thanks!

New to the idea of not moving firewood? Staring out the back window of your home or cabin at a stack of firewood that you now know might be a huge potential hazard to the health of your local trees? We can help.

 

Your next steps depend on one simple question- is the wood from in and around your property? Or was it brought in from far away?

 

If it is from in and around your property, it likely poses no threat to your trees, or to anyone else’s trees, as long as you don’t move it very far. Letting it rot is totally fine. Chipping it to use as mulch under your shrubs is a good idea. Burning it in your stove or fire pit could be fun and practical. Even bringing it to a nearby landfill or composting facility is OK, as long as that facility is right in your town. The problem would be if you take it to your cabin a few counties away, or if you stack it on the roadside for strangers to pick up and take it to who-knows-where. That’s the kind of thing you want to avoid- moving it far poses a risk to the trees in that new location.

 

Now, if that wood you are looking at is from far away, it might be contaminated with forest pests or diseases. These are often impossible to see, so don’t just trust yourself to inspect the wood. The best option for disposing of firewood that has already been moved is to burn it. In an ideal world, you’d invite over a few friends for an evening, buy some marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers, and have a large bonfire to burn it all at once. Festive, quick, and effective!

 

If that isn’t feasible (it may not be legal or practical to have a bonfire, depending on where you live) another option would be to burn it more slowly through more typical means- like a wood stove. Most important would be to burn it completely well before spring arrives, and to ensure you carefully rake the site right down to the dirt to get any straggling bark, twigs, or little chips.

 

If you’ve been bringing in firewood from long distances for years now, it really might be in your best interest to call someone to have your trees inspected for pests. Check out this map to find your local State Plant Health Director office– they can direct you to the right authority to have someone come look at your trees.

 

And lastly, be safe in the future. When you cut or collect wood on your property, just use it there- don’t move it. And remember- bonfires are only a stopgap measure to help you correct the mistake of moving firewood. From now on, only buy locally cut and sourced wood. A general rule of thumb is 50 miles from the source, but closer is always better. Support local businesses and keep your trees safe- don’t move firewood.

 

(Editor's note: this blog was written in December 2008)

The recent cold weather, plus the ice storm in the New England area, got me thinking about wood heat.

There is nothing wrong with burning firewood, or giving fallen limbs after an ice storm to your next door neighbor for them to burn. I worry sometimes people might get the wrong impression about firewood from this website- we are not against firewood! We are against moving firewood!

To illustrate this, I think a short recent quote from an article in the Telegram Gazette, a newspaper out of Worcester MA, is great.

Homeowners in the ALB regulated area that would prefer to burn fallen woody debris in their homes may certainly do so. However, the downed limbs and branches should not be transported out of the regulated area by individuals for use at other locations.

That's all. It isn't that you shouldn't burn it. Just that you should burn it where you found it, cut it, cleaned it up, or grew it!