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Invasive forest pests come in all different types- fungi, bacteria, beetles, aphids- and all the pests we talk about are united in the fact that they will eventually kill the tree they are infesting. But what happens next? What can you do with all that standing dead timber?

Dear Don't Move Firewood,

I have a question about the Emerald Ash Borer. What about these loggers who go in and buy up trees in your woods?  If you have a lot of ash trees can they buy up those trees for the wood?

Yours,

Margaret

Dear Margaret,

Yes, in many cases, you could use a properly certified and permitted private logging operation to cut down the trees and use them for various purposes. In a quarantined area (whether a region, zone, or state) you'd have to be extremely careful to ensure that they have a compliance certificate or other legal documentation showing that their plans for cutting and moving the wood was legal and appropriate. But with proper precautions and paperwork in place, you'd be set to go. For instance, if you lived in an area with lots of ash trees, and there was a firewood producer with a kiln that meets federal certifications, you could even use it to make kiln dried firewood! Across the continent, wood harvested from areas with forest pests is used for lots of things; firewood, pellets, chips, log home timbers, and more. It is just a matter of taking the time and precautions to make sure you are doing it right, and not spreading forest pests.

Thanks for asking.