What about moving lumber?

Dear Don’t Move Firewood-

I understand firewood cannot be transported over 50 miles in New York state. My question is regarding lumber from trees cut on my property and sawed into 2×4’s and similar lumber on site. Is this still covered by the transportation regulations?

Yours,

DIY Lumber Yard

Dear DIY Lumber Yard-

Dimensional lumber (such as 2x4s) is often, although not always, regulated in a different way than firewood. The easiest way to understand why differences exist is to think about the basic final product of dimensional lumber (should be clean, straight, strong, generally without more than a speck or two of bark) versus the final product of firewood (doesn’t really need to be clean, burns fine even if it is warped or has big holes or cracks in it, typically has large swaths of bark still attached).

Firewood therefore presents a higher risk because of both the general acceptable quality of the wood being lower, and the presence of raw edge and bark. Lumber is a lower general risk due to the need for intact strong wood, and the milling process removing the majority of the live edge and bark. These are gross generalities to illustrate why they are often regulated separately.

Now, in the case of your specific question- lumber milled in a backyard facility in the state of New York- I urge you to consult with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC). While a preliminary reading of their regulations does indicate that the rules are very different for kiln dried dimensional lumber, you don’t say that you are kiln drying. Therefore, it is extremely important to check with the NYDEC before moving your potential wood product within New York.

New York Resources: