Surveys to determine the extent of the newly discovered Asian longhorned beetle were begun today, after the destructive beetle was confirmed by USDA officials. Here at Don't Move Firewood, we are really, really sad to hear this. Ohio has already been hit with the emerald ash borer, and for the Asian longhorned beetle to be found there is an enormous blow to that community. For more information, please visit-

Ohio Dept of Agriculture General Beetle Site: http://www.agri.ohio.gov/asianbeetle/

The city of Chicago has a new pest to deal with; the Emerald Ash Borer.

The city of Chicago has a new pest to deal with; the Emerald Ash Borer. Small, bright green, and highly damaging to ash trees, the "EAB" is a huge economic and environmental threat.

Read this article from the Chicago Tribune- it shows how the city is being proactive. Their quick response will be hugely important for the residents of Chicago and surrounding areas.

The goldspotted oak borer is killing really big, really old, really amazing oak trees in Southern California's San Diego county. It almost certainly reached that spot because someone moved firewood from the native range of the bug (parts of Arizona and Northern Mexico). This borer is certainly now moving around quickly because of firewood. And lastly, it is feared that this insect will spread all the way to LA- and up the coast- if firewood is taken out of the infested region and brought to the big city.

Kansas is mostly thought of as a state full of grasslands and corn. But it has a lot of trees in urban areas, along creeks and rivers, and an extensive history of planting trees along the edges of fields as windbreaks (to lessen the strength of the wide-open space's windy days).

I had a really great lunch with an old friend last week, and we talked a lot about white pine blister rust. If you aren't familiar with it, white pine blister rust is one of the oldest, and most widespread, non-native forest pests in North America. It was introduced just at the dawn of the 1900s, and it is still killing pine trees all over our continent to this day.

Interesting question (sort of more of a statement) today from Todd in New York.

Dear Don't Move Firewood;

A visitor named John has posed a different, but the same, as a question I had a few weeks ago about processed wood as firewood. John asks...

Dear Don't Move Firewood,

I have saved commerically cut hardwood lumber scraps from pallets and other uses. This is lumber with no bark and not less that one year from the saw mill. Is it a problem?

John,

July was rough for Tennessee. Emerald ash borer (EAB) was discovered near a truck stop off I-40, which was the first time EAB has been found in the state. And Thousand cankers disease (TCD), a particularly worrisome beetle/fungus combination tree affliction that kills walnut trees, was discovered in a large and well established infestation in East Tennessee. This is a death sentence for walnut trees all over the region, and a huge disappointment for everyone that thought that TCD still had not gotten East of Colorado.

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-

The Asian longhorned beetle has been compared to Darth Vader more than once, and with some good reasons. In a recent article in the MetroWest Daily News out of Framingham MA, they said the ALB is, "Nicknamed the "Darth Vader" bug because of its shiny, black shell and ominous presence, the invasive species has no natural predators..."