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Dear Don't Move Firewood,
We are going camping twice in the next few weeks and would like to know if we can take our own firewood. We live in (northwestern) PA and will be going to (west central) NY and then also to (west central) PA. Could you tell us if we can transport our own wood, and in general, if and where can we ever transport wood? Thank you.
Yours,
Camper
Dear Camper,
You've got three questions here, so let's do them each one at a time.
1. Can you move firewood from your town in PA to your camping destination in NY?
Nope, that'd be illegal. New York prohibits the movement of untreated firewood from out of state, and also prohibits movement over 50 miles (your distance is more than that). You'll need to purchase wood near your NY camping area. Here's the pertinent link on that one; https://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/44008.html
2. Can you move firewood from your town in PA to where you want to camp in PA?
Your proposed trip is farther than 50 miles away, and the state agencies of PA strongly discourage moving firewood that far. From a strictly legal perspective, because you are not in a federally quarantined county, it is permissable. But it is not a great idea. Read more here: https://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/thingstoknow/firewoodadvisory/
3. In general, where can you ever transport wood?
This is a great question. If you are moving firewood a short distance (under 10 miles), and you are not in a quarantined area, and you are not crossing any major boundaries of states or counties, that's pretty much considered fine to do. For instance, if I cut up a tree in my backyard because it was too close to the house and I was worried it'd blow over in a storm, and I wanted to take it across town to my uncles place (let's say its a 20 minute drive) because he has a wood burning stove, that's fine. Now- take note. If I was cutting that same tree down because it was killed by some unknown bug, and it was riddled with holes and woodpecker damage, I would NOT take it to my uncle's house, because I might spread whatever was in my tree to his property. Instead, I'd burn it in my backyard fire pit whenever I wanted to roast some hot dogs.
Hope that helps!