Authorities in Mississippi strongly advise campers and travelers to avoid bringing firewood into Mississippi from out-of-state. Harmful forest pests such as emerald ash borer, giant African land snail, and sirex woodwasp occur in many nearby states and are known to spread on firewood.
Mississippi’s Forestry Commission asks that firewood users do the following to help prevent the spread of harmful non-native forest pests:
- Buy local and burn local
- Get firewood that was cut in your county, ideally within 50 miles of where you’ll burn it
In many cases, moving firewood from Mississippi to other states is against the law, as this can spread forest pests like the federally regulated imported fire ant.
Campgrounds often have their own firewood rules – many times campers are required to purchase firewood in the campground or from nearby vendors; sometimes they permit the collection of dead and down firewood on-site. Be sure to learn the rules in your area and destination before traveling with firewood.
This summary is accurate to the best of DMF staff abilities as of 29 August 2023.
Additional Resources:
- Mississippi Forest Health, Mississippi Forestry Commission
- Invasive Species Information Mississippi
- Buy Local Burn Local, Mississippi Forestry Commission
- Hungry Pests Mississippi Page, USDA APHIS
- Firewood Information, US Forest Service Southern Region
- Forest Pests, MS State University Extension
- Why You Shouldn’t Move Firewood, MSU Extension Service
- Emerald Ash Borer Page, Mississippi Forestry Commission
- Imported Fire Ant Information and Map
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