Dear Don't Move Firewood,
We live in Michigan, and I have a co-worker who is cutting down a Maple tree in Ohio, right across the border. They are offering their firewood to us, is it ok to move firewood across the stateline between (edited to remove city names) approx. 17-20 miles? Both areas are quarantined.
Thank you,
Firewood User
Dear Firewood User,
Thanks for asking this important question. Michigan is indeed under quarantine for the emerald ash borer, and Ohio has two types of quarantines- a regional quarantine for the emerald ash borer, and an small area (far from your part of the state) under quarantine for Asian longhorned beetle. Because of this, I asked an expert, Sharon Lucik with the Emerald Ash Borer Program of USDA-APHIS, for some help. She replied, "Not moving firewood long distances and making sure to purchase only treated firewood are two best practices to support healthy trees and forests. Given that, there are no emerald ash borer regulations prohibiting you from transporting firewood Ohio* to Michigan. Remember, untreated firewood can harbor invasive wood pests and diseases, so USDA continues to promote the “Don’t Move Firewood” message as part of its public outreach and educational efforts."
* Note that Sharon evaluated moving maple firewood from your coworker's town in Ohio, which is not a town that is under quarantine for Asian longhorned beetle (ALB). Maple, ash, birch and many other types of firewood ABSOLUTELY CANNOT be moved out of the ALB quarantined areas of Ohio. Speaking of the ALB, for anyone that is ever cutting down a maple tree, it is a really good idea to use that opportunity to look at the tree for signs of the Asian longhorned beetle. August will be the first ever Tree Check Month– so download this great one page handout if you want to learn more about that!