At least 58 non-native wood-boring insect species have been detected in the United States since 1985; nearly all are suspected of having entered the country in crates, pallets, or other forms of packaging made of wood. And despite the far tighter regulations on wooden packaging that were put in place in 2006, some wood boring insects are bound to continue sneaking into North America.

This weekend it was unseasonably warm at my house. Sunny, gorgeous, high around 65. We recently had an arborist cut down a few trees that were leaning hazardously towards our house, so there is a lot of firewood in our yard waiting to be neatly bucked and stacked. I was playing outside when it hit me.

Literally.

We’ve talked a lot here on Don’t Move Firewood about how forest pests can enter North America on or in the wood of packaging materials, such as pallets. One thing that we talk less about is that many pests also have reached our shores on imports of living plants. Examples of this problem include the hemlock woolly adelgid, winter moth, and the pathogen sudden oak death.

NEWS RELEASE --- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Sarah Volkman

svolkman@tnc.org
215.622.0557

BEWARE OF UNWANTED GARDEN AND TREE PESTS DURING SPRING CLEANUP

Tree-killing insects and diseases can be spread when disposing of yard waste

Tomorrow is the quirky celebration of Pi day, known to geometry students world wide as "that day when our teacher finally thinks it is smart to bring a delicious pie to school." In case you don't get the reference, Pi day is because of the amazing never ending number 3.14(etc) that is critical to calculating the dimensions of all circles and spheres. And tomorrow is 3/14.

Why are we mentioning Pi day? Well, here at Don't Move Firewood, we are working hard to protect your pies for generations to come.

New question (OK, actually more like a statement) for Dear Don't Move Firewood!

Dear Don't Move Firewood,

I have a tenant who brought ash firewood from Massachusetts to Connecticut without my prior knowledge and has stored the wood on the property within the structure. I am reporting this as I am concerned for both the home and other trees on my property.

Yours,

Worried in CT

Dear Worried,

Today's winter storms across the eastern seaboard will likely bring down trees across the region- falling onto powerlines, into backyards, and across roads. Here at Don't Move Firewood, we'd like to remind you that once those trees are safely dealt with in the short term, there might be invasive pests in the remaining logs, branches, and even leaves for the long term.

Here are a few "Do's" for properly dealing with excess tree debris after a storm:

The Dear Don't Move Firewood column that we post periodically is taken directly from emails that we receive here at the website. One letter that we got this weekend was so specific, however, that we can't really run it without compromising someone's identity. Intriguing, right?

I'll leave you hanging, but the substantial takeaway messages are the same as always.

NEWS RELEASE --- For Immediate Release

Contact: Sarah Volkman, 215-622-0557
              svolkman@tnc.org

Let's finish up this week right with a question for our advice column, Dear Don't Move Firewood.

Dear Don't Move Firewood,