Bringing firewood into Georgia from out of state threatens the health of Georgia’s trees due to invasive tree pests that hide in firewood such as emerald ash borer, spongy moth, Asian longhorned beetle, laurel wilt disease and others. As a result, Georgia’s Department of Agriculture, Department of Natural Resources, and State Parks strongly advise residents and visitors to limit the movement of firewood.
The Georgia Forestry Commission has several firewood guidelines designed to prevent and reduce the risk of transporting forest pests on firewood:
- Avoid moving firewood out of the county where it originated.
- When visiting campgrounds, leave your firewood at home – get it at or near the campsite.
- If you brought firewood with you, burn all of it on-site before leaving.
Georgia’s State Parks ask that you contact the state park directly about finding local sources of wood. You can help protect Georgia’s natural and agricultural resources by not traveling with firewood – buy it where you burn it!
This summary is accurate to the best of DMF staff abilities as of 28 July 2022.
Georgia Web Resources
- Forest Health, Georgia Forestry Commission
- Hungry Pests Georgia Page
- Georgia Parks Rules and Regulations, see “Firewood & Campfires” section
- Georgia Parks and Historic Sites Map
- Georgia Invasive Species Task Force
- Georgia Forestry Commission Firewood Brochure
- US Forest Service Southern Region Firewood Information
- Plant Disease Clinic, University of Georgia
- bugwood.org, Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, University of Georgia
- Imported Fire Ant Information and Map
- EAB Information, GA Forestry Commission
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