Bringing firewood into Georgia from out of state threatens the health of Georgia’s trees due to invasive tree pests that hide in firewood such as emerald ash borer, spongy moth, Asian longhorned beetle, laurel wilt disease and others. As a result, Georgia’s Department of Agriculture, Department of Natural Resources, and State Parks strongly advise residents and visitors to find local sources of firewood.
The Georgia Forestry Commission has several firewood guidelines designed to prevent and reduce the risk of transporting forest pests on firewood:
- Avoid moving firewood out of the county where it originated.
- When visiting campgrounds, leave your firewood at home – get it at or near the campsite.
- If you brought firewood with you, burn all of it on-site before leaving.
Georgia’s State Parks ask that you contact the state park directly about finding local sources of wood. You can help protect Georgia’s natural and agricultural resources by not traveling with firewood – buy it where you burn it!
This summary is accurate to the best of DMF staff abilities as of 18 July 2024.
Georgia Web Resources
- Forest Health, Georgia Forestry Commission
- Georgia Pests Page, USDA APHIS
- Georgia Parks Rules and Regulations, see “Firewood & Campfires” section
- Georgia Invasive Species Task Force
- Georgia Forestry Commission Firewood Brochure
- US Forest Service Southern Region Firewood Information
- bugwood.org, Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, University of Georgia
- Imported Fire Ant Information and Map
- Emerald Ash Borer Information, GA Forestry Commission
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