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I got another great question from our Contact Us form last week, and wanted to share it. This question is from Daniel.

Dear Don't Move Firewood,

Due to the high price of firewood at or near our campgrounds, I usually cut up pallets and pallet tops to use as firewood while camping. Is this OK since it has been kiln dried? Thanks!

Dear Daniel-

This is a good start, although a slightly imperfect solution.The first problem is that not all wood pallets are kiln dried, so unless you are 100% certain it is kiln dried (i.e. you can clearly identify the HT initials next to the pallet's IPPC logo) the wood still may contain viable pests. So that's a major issue if your pallets are unlabeled. If that's the case, you are potentially still spreading pests.

But, for the sake of argument, let's just say that you in fact do have access to a set of kiln dried pallets. That's totally possible if you work in certain sectors of the an import/export industry. So let's go with it! If your pallets are definitely heat treated, then your cutting them up and bringing them is a very safe, but not 100% perfect, activity. There is still a very small risk that you'll transport fungal spores, or perhaps in the worst case- egg cases- to your destination. But these are very unlikely. You are pretty much on the right track here.

Lastly, some campground bar ALL firewood, regardless of type or treatment, because they are extremely concerned about pests. In this case, you'll be pretty frustrated to arrive with your bucked up pallets. And a few campgrounds bar dimensional lumber or industrial lumber for fear of odd things like brackets and rusty nails ending up in the ashes, where they could cut a child or park worker. Those are exceptions, but they do happen. So it might be wise to call ahead if you are visiting a new campground where you don't know the rules.

Thanks for asking!