North Carolina Summary:
North Carolina prohibits the interstate and intrastate (within state) movement of firewood (hardwood, softwood, seasoned and green) from federal and state quarantined areas to prevent the spread of invasive forest pest species. Pests targeted in North Carolina’s quarantined areas include – but are not limited to – European gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar), walnut twig beetle (Pityophthorus juglandis), and the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta). Firewood cannot be brought from a quarantined county into an unquarantined county within the state of North Carolina. The entire state of North Carolina is now under quarantine for the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) meaning ash and firewood can move freely among other states with emerald ash borer quarantines as long as county quarantines for other pests are also being obeyed. Great Smoky Mountain National Park prohibits untreated firewood from entering the park. The Blue Ridge Parkway requires firewood to be bundled and certified if brought into the park, or campers may also collect dead and down wood from within the park. North Carolina State Parks urges campers not to bring firewood with them into state parks. Regardless of your area’s quarantine status, the state of North Carolina urges users of firewood to purchase and use locally. It is recommended that you burn firewood within 50 miles of its origin. If firewood has inadvertently been brought into the state, or has been moved long distances within the state, make sure it is burned as soon as possible. All these measures are designed to prevent the introduction and/or spread of invasive forest pest species within North Carolina and neighboring states. This summary is accurate to the best of DMF staff abilities as of 8 January 2018.
North Carolina Web Resources
General Information
- Great Smoky Mountains Firewood Alert
- Blue Ridge Parkway Firewood Regulations
- Firewood page, NC Forest Service Forest Health
- US Forest Service Southern Region Firewood Information
- Forest Invasives Map, NC Forest Service
- Invasives Monitoring page, NC Forest Service
- North Carolina Plant Protection Regulation Summary
- North Carolina State University, Firewood Summary Blog
- The Nature Conservancy’s Great Smoky Mountains Information and Firewood Map
Pest Specific Pages and Maps
- Emerald Ash Borer FAQ, NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services
- Emerald Ash Borer Federal Quarantine and Authorized Transit map
- Imported Fire Ant Information, North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
- Imported Fire Ant Quarantine Map, North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
- Imported Fire Ant information and map archives, USDA APHIS Information page
- Gypsy Moth Quarantine, North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
- Laurel Wilt page, NC Forest Service
- Thousand Cankers page, NC Forest Service
- Thousand Cankers Disease, North Carolina Quarantine
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