It is illegal to import anything into Saskatchewan that could cause the spread of insects or diseases harmful to Saskatchewan’s forests, trees, and vegetation. For example, the movement of the following species of firewood is legally restricted in Saskatchewan to slow the spread of Dutch elm disease, mountain pine beetle, and emerald ash borer:
- ELM – Cutting, transport, storage and use of elm as firewood is restricted under The Dutch Elm Disease Regulations
- PINE – The import, transportation, and storage of all pine logs and pine forest products with bark attached is restricted if it originates from the Cypress Hills area, the Provinces of Alberta and British Columbia; or the USA.
- ASH – The import, transport, or storage of ash logs and products from ash trees is restricted if it originates from the Provinces of Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec; or the USA.
In addition to Saskatchewan’s regulations, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) prohibits the transport of firewood out of a regulated area without a permit. The CFIA and the Saskatchewan authorities collectively have the following recommendations designed to prevent the transport of forest pests on firewood:
- Buy heat-treated or local wood only (within 80km of where it was cut)
- Don’t travel with firewood. Many recreational areas have firewood for sale and it is provided free in many national and provincial parks.
- Don’t take it with you, burn all firewood at your location.
Many campgrounds and municipalities in Saskatchewan have firewood policies, so be sure to determine the rules at your destination before bringing firewood; to be safe, buy local, burn local.
Bringing firewood from Canada into the USA is prohibited unless the firewood is labeled and certified heat-treated. Read about these requirements on the USDA and CBP firewood information sheet (Link 6 USDA CBP).
Bringing firewood from the USA into Canada is prohibited unless the firewood is labeled and certified heat-treated. Canada also encourages visitors to use local firewood.
This summary is accurate to the best of DMF staff abilities as of 27 September 2022.
Saskatchewan Web Resources
- Forest Health in Saskatchewan
- Saskatchewan Parks Rules and Regulations
- Saskatchewan Invasive Species Page
- Do Not Transport, Store, or Sell Elm Firewood, SK Government Press Release
- Mountain Pine Beetle Detection and Prevention, Government of Saskatchewan
- Saskatchewan Invasive Species Council
- Saskatchewan and Alberta Renew Partnership in Mountain Pine Beetle Fight, Government of Saskatchewan 2022 press release
General Canada Web Resources
- Firewood Regulations, Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
- Don’t Move Firewood Page, CFIA
- Buy Local Burn Local, Canadian Invasive Species Council
- Asian Longhorned Beetle, CFIA
- Brown Spruce Longhorn Beetle, CFIA
- Emerald Ash Borer Regulated Areas in Canada
- Spongy Moth in Canada
For more information, visit our Canada Information page.
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