Burn Local Firewood

Campers can easily and unwittingly spread invasive pests like the emerald ash borer by transporting firewood far from its source.

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Photo: David Cappaert / Michigan State University

By The Daily Green Staff

Before you set out for your next camping trip or bonfire, take a minute to think about your firewood options. Transporting firewood can spread the emerald ash borer, an invasive pest native to the Far East, has decimated U.S. and Canadian forests in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Ontario and Quebec. The bug attacks and ultimately kills ash trees. Asian longhorned beetles, another invasive beetle, are also known hitch rides in firewood.

In general, don't transport wood more than 50 miles. More directly: Just buy it where you burn it.

Emerald ash borers aren't the first or only invasive species to wreak havoc on U.S. ecosystems. Far from it. Invasive species cost the U.S. economy as much as $120 billion annually, due to such impacts as lost timber sales.

We can spread many other invasive species, from the "rock snock" that wrecks once-pristine trout streams to alien flowers that escape home gardens, or we can make efforts not to spread species. Learn more about invasive species that are problematic in your area by visiting the website of your state wildlife or environmental conservation department. Or, start by visiting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at fws.gov/invasives/what-you-can-do.html.

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