Request for a firewood permit

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, we got a request for a permit to move a cord of firewood across New England, through several states and over 160 miles. For one thing, we don't have the authority to give out permits. But more importantly- this isn't a good idea. New England has a wide variety of forest pests, many of which have only a few locations where they are infesting the trees. Moving firewood that far has the potential to make a new infestation- one literally right in your backyard.

 

So, can you legally take a cord of wood from central Vermont, through New Hampshire, and then use it all winter in Southern Massachusetts, right near the Rhode Island border? Technically, yes, assuming you don't drive through the quarantined area around Worcester in central Massachusetts and put yourself in a position to accidentally violate the terms of the Asian longhorned beetle quarantine. But please don't move firewood that far. Even if you did burn it all by April, when insects and diseases in the wood could emerge, it simply isn't a smart move for the health of your trees and forests.