But if it is already here...

But if it is already here...

Posted by L. Greenwood on Fri, 01/22/2010

People often ask if it isn't thaaaat bad to move firewood if a pest is already established, on the idea of "what further harm can be done?" It is a valid question, so I thought I'd pontificate for a second on that idea and why I disagree.

First off, you are probably violating the law. Breaking local quarantines is against the law, and if nothing else, you could be in for a hefty fine. For instance, I just read that 14 more counties were added to emerald ash borer quarantines in Ohio, and the fines for moving firewood in those areas can be up to $4000.

Secondly, many pest infestations are patchy. That's really important to realize. So if you think "what more harm could I do, it is all doomed anyway?" and you accidentally 'fill in a patch' that might not have been attacked by the pest for another 5 or 10 or 20 years... well, you did a lot of harm by speeding up the process.

And lastly, there are things out there that we don't know about. So for instance, if you move wood- even legally- from one place to another that are both heavily infested by one pest, who is to say that the wood wasn't infested with two pests? Maybe you made no difference in the emerald ash borer situation, but instead accidentally created a new spot infestation of gypsy moth? That's not good, either.

The bottom line is that it is risky to the health of trees to move firewood very far. Because of what you might not know, or what you might be mistaken about, or just because it is against the law... it is not a good idea.

So when you do anything with firewood, make sure it hasn't moved far, and you'll be doing the right thing.