Author: Leigh Greenwood

Rules for moving firewood within Florida

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Dear Don’t Move Firewood,

Can firewood be transported inside the state of Florida for approximately 450 miles?

Sincerely, 

Floridian

Dear Floridian,

Within the state of Florida, multiple state authorities highly encourage that everyone uses local sources of firewood- and local is define as cut/harvested within 50 miles of where it will be used. This recommendation is in place to prevent the movement of pests within Florida, such as laurel wilt disease, imported fire ant, giant African snail, and others. The answer to your question it therefore that while it is not illegal to move firewood 450 miles within Florida, it is very highly discouraged. Instead, we advise buying or harvesting firewood within 50 miles of your destination, to minimize the chances of moving invasive insects and diseases. Thank you for asking!

For more information, please visit:

Editor’s Note: we edit, shorten, and make anonymous all Dear Don’t Move Firewood entries- but they are all derived from real emails or Facebook posts! 

Bringing Firewood into Mount Rainier National Park?

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Dear Don’t Move Firewood

Can we bring our own firewood to Cougar Rock campground in Mount Rainier National Park? Thanks.

Sincerely,

Upcoming Washington Camper

Dear Upcoming Washington Camper,

Yes, it looks like Cougar Rock Campground in Mount Rainier National Park allows you to bring your own firewood- but they highly recommend it was gathered or purchased within 50 miles of the park. The park itself prohibits collecting firewood within the boundaries, so bringing in local firewood is going to be the best option for sure. Washington state as a whole recommends buying or gathering firewood locally, and not bringing in wood from out of state- so if you are traveling to the park from Oregon, Idaho, or elsewhere, please make sure to buy firewood once you reach the area of Mount Rainier!

TL/DR the answer to your question is that if you are bringing in your own local firewood from a local source, that’s fine- but please don’t bring in firewood from more than 50 miles away.

For more information, please visit:

Editor’s Note: we edit, shorten, and make anonymous all Dear Don’t Move Firewood entries- but they are all derived from real emails or Facebook posts! 

Processed log firewood to Kings Canyon?

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Dear Don’t Move Firewood,

I’m bringing my son to Kings Canyon National Park to camp pretty soon. I’m trying to figure if the (brand removed “fake” firewood) logs are OK for us to bring. I understand your policy doesn’t permit you to endorse products but I’m not asking for that. I’m just trying to make sure I line up everything as needed before we set off for our 2nd camping trip of our lives 🙂 Thank you so much.

Yours, 

Upcoming Camper

Dear Upcoming Camper,

All the pre-packaged compressed wood products that I’ve seen on the market are typically fine to bring into campgrounds. I have never seen them prohibited, and certainly to the very best of my knowledge they are fine in Kings Canyon National Park. You should be totally good to go!

For more information on these products and the Don’t Move Firewood opinion on “fake” firewood, see the following archived blogs.

Editor’s Note: we edit, shorten, and make anonymous all Dear Don’t Move Firewood entries- but they are all derived from real emails or Facebook posts!

Top 5 Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week Ideas for 2018

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

The emerald ash borer (EAB) is an invasive beetle that infests and kills ash trees in North America. Right now, the EAB is found across most of the Central and Eastern US, as well as increasingly the Great Plains and Southeastern states. Once a tree has been infested with emerald ash borer for several years, it is very difficult to save that particular tree- but if caught early enough, ash trees in yards, parks, and streets can usually be successfully treated and protected. To help your community successfully find emerald ash borer infestations before they get so severe that they cannot be treated, we need your help!

During Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week (May 20th to 26th, 2018) everyone is encouraged to take a few minutes to learn about the signs and symptoms of emerald ash borer infestation on ash trees, so that the infestations can be better managed by local tree professionals and foresters.

Here are our Top Five Resources for Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week!

  1. Check out this short and awesome video on how to identify ash trees and damage from the emerald ash borer: Emerald Ash Borer ID Video
  2. Do you need some more technical handouts? Check out the great reference list here at EmeraldAshBorer.info under “How to Identify EAB” 
  3. Looking for kid friendly EAB resources like a coloring page or a bug mask? Look through our awesome “For Kids” page! 
  4. Want something quick to download for a social media account? Here’s a fun banner that works well for Facebook, Twitter, and more: 
  5. Or do you just want it all? Take a look at our Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week Toolkit, where we list all the Resources that we think can help you make it a successful week.

If you think you have found signs of emerald ash borer on your ash tree, click here to learn about how to report it in your state.

The best way to slow the spread of emerald ash borer and other forest pests is avoid moving firewood long distances. Instead, buy local firewood, buy heat treated certified firewood, or gather firewood on site when permitted.

 

(image credit for EAB image used in Facebook Advertisement, Spring 2018: Steven Valley, Oregon Department of Agriculture, Bugwood.org Image 5445431)

Scrap lumber for firewood in the West

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Dear Don’t Move Firewood,

What about scrap lumber, 2x4s and such? Since the original lumber is moved around the country before I buy it at the lumber yard, it doesn’t seem that restricting its movement could have any impact on the pest problem. Can I safely carry around a box of 2×4 scraps to use as kindling….and obtain “real” wood at the site? Would California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Idaho and Colorado have any problem with that?

Yours,

Thifty Lumber Saver

Dear Thrifty,

Scrap 2×4 lumber (or similar) that has been stored in a clean and dry indoor location- to prevent infestation from insects or soil after the lumber was cut- is typically fine to use, and generally not prohibited by the states you listed. The only exception that is worth noting is that some campgrounds prohibit the use of scrap lumber because of safety risk to their workers of nails, brackets, strongties, etc being left in fire pits. Check ahead of time, just in case that’s the case.

For more information on this topic, please visit:

Editor’s Note: we edit, shorten, and make anonymous all Dear Don’t Move Firewood entries- but they are all derived from real emails or Facebook posts!

From Texas to New Mexico

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Dear Don’t Move Firewood,

Could you please provide information on buying wood in NM? I’m traveling from Texas to a campground in New Mexico, and if I get pulled over by police, how are they going to know the wood we have attached to our RV was purchased in NM and is legal? Are there specific requirements regarding the purchase I need to have on hand to document the wood is legal? Thanks for your help.

Sincerely, 

RVing into the Land of Enchantment

Dear RVer,

The enforcement of firewood regulations in your area (Texas and New Mexico) relies almost entirely on stated origin- that is to say, if you say “I bought all this in New Mexico” then any enforcing officer would be expected take you at your word. Now, if you are concerned about this process- and I understand you may be- just keep the receipts for the purchase if possible. That is by far the easiest and simplest solution. Then, in the very unlikely chance you run into a problem, you have paperwork to help you out.

Thank you for your diligence and have a great time in New Mexico!

For more information, please visit:

Editor’s Note: we edit, shorten, and make anonymous all Dear Don’t Move Firewood entries- but they are all derived from real emails or Facebook posts!

Moving from California to Montana

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Dear Don’t Move Firewood,

We are moving from California to Montana, and I was curious if I could take the oak firewood with us. Just wanted to check. Thanks!

Sincerely, 

Moving to Montana Soon

Dear Moving to Montana Soon,

There are many invasive insects and diseases that live in oaks in California that could infest the trees of Montana- the various hardwood trees like alder, aspen, birch, rocky mountain maple, cottonwood, green ash, black cherry, and others could be infested with quite a few insects that affect oaks in California. I would urge you to please leave your firewood at home and purchase or harvest firewood in Montana when you get there. Montana has excellent access to firewood harvesting areas throughout the state. Depending on exactly where you are in California, it could also be illegal for you to bring firewood from CA to MT- but regardless of location, it is not advised by the state forestry and agricultural authorities.

Thank you for asking, and congratulations on your move.

For more information, please visit:

Editor’s Note: we edit, shorten, and make anonymous all Dear Don’t Move Firewood entries- but they are all derived from real emails or Facebook posts!

Webinar: Resources for Jumpstarting Outreach on Invasive Species, February 22

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Join us for a FOCI webinar, Resources for Jumpstarting Outreach on Invasive Species, on Thursday, February 22 2018 at 11am Eastern (8am Pacific, 9 Mountain, 10 Central). This webinar is being held in coordination with the Emerald Ash Borer University Program, EABU, which is managed by the great folks over at emeraldashborer.info. We’ll be talking about the various resource groups and collections that are helpful for inspiration and education of outreach professionals working on the topic of invasive species, with a close focus on non-native forest insects and diseases. This webinar is now complete! We had 36 attendees and a robust Q&A at the end.

  • Recorded webinar now available here via the Emerald Ash Borer University YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/Ys5iUDDYsdA and also here, in an identical copy, via the Don’t Move Firewood YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/RetF-PG2yGQ 
  • (The link to order materials is no longer available. Please email Leigh if you would like to request materials. Thank you.)

Webinar: Regulations that apply to moving firewood right now, on January 25

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Join us for a FOCI webinar, Regulations that apply to moving firewood right now, on Thursday, January 25th 2018 at noon Eastern (9am Pacific, 10 Mountain, 11 Central). The regulations that apply to firewood are often not entirely about the firewood itself, which makes it hard to fully categorize and understand the tangled web of rules and quarantines in North America. During this webinar, the manager of Don’t Move Firewood, Leigh Greenwood, will describe all the different ways in which current regulations criss-cross to create a confusing, and fascinating, regulatory landscape. From Asian longhorned beetle to Arkansas, walnut twig beetle to Wyoming Weed and Pest Control Act, we’ll do our best to accurately represent the scope of a whole continent’s rules and regulations in merely one hour.

  • THIS WEBINAR IS NOW COMPLETE. We had 57 attendees from at least 23 states and provinces on the live webinar.
  • View the recorded presentation on our YouTube Channel here: https://youtu.be/Hn5c4t3cuC8 Special note: the webinar recording briefly shows a blank screen at about 8 minutes and 18 minutes in. Just sit tight, it resolves itself when the webinar clicks over to the next slide. Sorry about that! Not sure what happened.
  • Download a PDF of the Powerpoint slides if desired: DMF-RegsNow2018_1 (8.8MB)  .

Firewood for those in need

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Dear Don’t Move Firewood,

There is a woman in my town in Maine that is disabled and in need of some firewood. I’m trying to help her out, but don’t know where to start. Can you help?

Sincerely,

Trying to Help

Dear Trying to Help,

I’m so glad to see you are  working to help someone in your community. The best place to start is by searching online to see if there are any “Wood Banks” (like a Food Bank) in your area. There are quite a few in Maine so you’d need to figure out if one is close enough to help this person out. If that doesn’t work, I’d suggest asking at your local food bank, churches, or community centers to see if anyone can point you in the right direction. Good luck, and thank you for your kindness to this person.

For more information, please visit:

Editor’s Note: we edit, shorten, and make anonymous all Dear Don’t Move Firewood entries- but they are all derived from real emails or Facebook posts!