Texas regulates the movement of firewood due to several harmful forest pests that threaten the health of Texas trees. The state has several counties under quarantine due to the highly destructive emerald ash borer; this means it is illegal to move firewood out of these counties. Texas also prohibits the entry of wood from hickory, pecan, and walnut wood due to an exterior quarantine on the pecan weevil. Additionally, most of Texas is under quarantine for the imported fire ant, which legally restricts the movement of firewood out of these regions. Another invasive pest that the authorities are closely watching is the Mexican soapberry borer, which has already been detected in 50 Texas counties.
The Texas Department of Agriculture provides the following recommendations for firewood users to help protect the state’s resources by slowing the spread of destructive forest pests:
- Buy firewood locally (where you plan to burn it)
- Do not transport firewood to campgrounds or parks
U.S. Customs and Border Protection also encourages campers to burn firewood where they obtain it and to avoid moving unburned firewood from one campground to another. In addition, all firewood from Mexico entering Texas is subject to inspection at ports of entry.
This summary is accurate to the best of DMF staff abilities as of 30 August 2022.
Texas Web Resources:
- Texas Invasive Species Institute
- Texas Invasives, Take Action
- Texas Invasives Resources
- Texas A&M Forest Health
- U.S. Forest Service Southern Region Firewood Information
- Buy it where you burn it Texas poster
- Texas Hungry Pests
Pest Specific Information
- Pest and Disease Alerts, Texas Department of Agriculture
- Imported Fire Ant National Quarantine
- Emerald Ash Borer Quarantine in Texas
- Pest Alert: Thousand Cankers Disease
- Mexican Soapberry Borer: a forest pest threatening western soapberry trees in Texas
- Texas Plant Disease Diagnostics Lab
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