Take the Firewood Pledge!

Don’t Transport Firewood!

Invasive insect species threaten American forests, and you can help stop the spread of these pests by not transporting firewood.

Wood boring insects such as the emerald ash borer, the Sirex wood wasp and Asian long horned beetle are highly destructive pests that can kill large numbers of trees which put our natural resources at risk. They bore into stressed trees and lay eggs. The eggs hatch and the insects tunnel back out of the tree which can cause the tree to die. When the trees die and are cut into firewood, the insects are spread from state to state when that firewood is moved.

APHIS (the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) is the federal agency regulating invasive insect species. It establishes quarantines in areas that have been over run with these insect threats, and regulates the movement of infested firewood from these areas. Some states in the areas hit by emerald ash borer and other forest pests no longer allow campers to bring firewood into state campgrounds or recreation areas.

These broad prevention efforts are hard to enforce and are also seriously undermined by the small-scale, unintentional movement of firewood by individuals. Therefore, the volunteer actions of individuals to help prevent and stem the spread of these invasive pests are very important. Do not move infested firewood out of a quarantine area.

What You Can Do
Spread the message, not the pest. Take the Firewood Pledge Pledge to:

• Use firewood you obtain locally
• Don’t transport firewood from home (e.g., across county lines, especially to second homes such as summer houses, cottages, cabins and hunting shacks);
• Don’t take firewood home that you got elsewhere
• If you’ve already transported firewood, don’t leave it or bring it home – burn it!