I've received two really good questions in the last few weeks, so I thought I'd post the questions and my answers on the blog for all to see. The first is from a woman named Kirsta. She writes;
Dear DMF,
I have a large pile of firewood in my back yard that I would like to get rid of. What is a safe way to dispose of it?
Well Kirsta, there are two basic options that are safe. One is that you burn it yourself on your property. Do you have a woodstove, bonfire pit, or fireplace? That'd be the easiest. Throw a party and burn it all! Just make sure to follow local fire safety rules if you chose that one, and go easy on the lighter fluid!
The next option is to give it to a trusted neighbor, someone you know will use it on their property or in their own home. Maybe the folks down the street have a woodstove and would be thrilled to take it to heat their home this winter. If you are only moving it down the road, there is no real harm that can be done. I hope that helps!
This second question is a little more complicated, but here at DMF, we can handle it! This one is from Jenny.
Dear DMF,
I'm very curious why we aren't allowed to move firewood but it's ok to move living trees (via tree farm or nursery) or dead (xmas). If the experts can't tell in dead wood how can they in living. Also - why are wooden pallets still being used when it seems that's how a lot of these things got here in the first place? Thanks for your time.
Jenny, you've clearly thought long about this, and you are right. Moving living trees or recently dead trees can also be problematic, and can definitely spread pests. The difference lies mostly in the chances of causing harm- and firewood, being an almost entirely decentralized and unregulated industry, has a much higher chance of causing harm. In both the cases of nurseries and christmas trees, there is a very good chance that the tree originates from a professional establishment that has a vested interest in keeping their trees healthy. It isn't a perfect answer, but sure is true that folks like nursery owners would be likely to spot pests, as well as motivated to prevent them because of their own economic interest in keeping their business healthy.
The second question, about pallets, is also a tough one. Wooden pallets are inexpensive and surprisingly environmentally friendly. They are mostly made from wood that could serve no other purpose- almost like recycled material, but not quite. So part of the reason we still use them is economic. The other thing is that the real issue wasn't wooden pallets themselves, it was untreated and uninspected international wooden pallets that we used to import. We now treat and inspect them. So that makes a big difference.
Got questions? We might have answers. Email us at contact@dontmovefirewood.org
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