Northeastern Area

Don't Move Firewood!

Protect the Nation's Forests

This camping and hunting season, get your firewood from a vendor close to your destination. Don’t pack your own! Invasive insects and diseases in dead and dying wood threaten our native trees and forests. If you move firewood, you could be giving these pests a free ride to new territory.

Just one example of a pest moving in firewood is the emerald ash borer (EAB), a destructive, invasive insect from Asia. EAB is responsible for more than 20 million dead and dying ash trees and millions of dollars in damage in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. For information on other forest pests that spread in firewood, see the Note from the Northeastern Area Director, and the proceedings of the 2008 Firewood Forum.

In May 2006, concerned forest conservationists met at the Morton Arboretum in Illinois, for the first Firewood Forum. It was designed to provide an opportunity to learn more about the forest health hazards of transporting firewood. A second Firewood Forum was held in April 2008 at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum in New Jersey.

Firewood Forum: Developing Successful Outreach Strategies, April 15, 2008 Proceedings

If you are interested in attending future Firewood Forums, please contact Judy Antipin