This fall and winter, as in the past, folks are engaging in the familiar tradition of gathering firewood to warm their homes with the glow of real wood fires. It's a wonderful, time honored activity but it does have a dark side: Firewood can contain serious plant pests and diseases with the potential to wipe out entire species and forests. These dangerous organisms are easily transported when firewood is moved from place to place, sometimes over long distances.
The problem of imported, exotic pests and diseases has attained alarming proportions. In the Eastern and Midwestern United States it isn't unusual to see entire stands of dead and dying trees, victims of the emerald ash borer, Gypsy Moth, Asian Longhorn Beetle, Wooly Hemlock Adelgid and other pests. In California large numbers of large, stately, native oak trees are dying, seemingly overnight, from the disease, Sudden Oak Death. A fungus, Thousand Cankers Disease, already present in other states and spread by the Walnut Twig Beetle, has recently begun affecting Tennessee's Black Walnut trees. These and other foreign species now spreading across the continent move fast enough on their own, but not nearly as quickly as when they are aided by people who unwittingly transport them in firewood.
According to a recent poll conducted by The Nature Conservancy, one fifth of Americans said they moved firewood long distances. (More than 50 miles, a distance that experts agree is too far.) An article on the website of KPIC Channel 4, of Roseburg, Oregon says that all three Pacific Northwest states have launched an outreach campaign in an attempt to educate the public regarding the possible consequences of moving firewood over long distances. In a January 2, 2011 article at Boston.comCarol Stocker says the Nature Conservancy has joined with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation in urging people to avoid moving firewood across regions and especially across state lines. Park districts in various locations around the United States are urging campers to buy and use local wood for their camp fires, rather than bringing their own. In addition, they also recommend not taking the leftovers with them to the next camp. Some are even enacting rules to that effect and levying fines for those who don't comply.
Other pests that can be transported in and on firewood include, but are not limited to the following: Termite, Carpenter Ant, Horntail Wasp, Centipede, Wood Borer, Sirex Wood Wasp, Scorpion, Brown Recluse, Black Widow, Bark Beetle, Sow Bug and Pill Bug.
The KPIC articleoffers the following tips to help minimize the risks:
Obtain firewood near the location where you will burn it - that means the wood was cut in a nearby forest, in the same county, or at a maximum of 50 miles from where you'll have your fire.
Don't be tempted to get firewood from a remote location just because the wood looks clean and healthy. It could still harbor tiny insect eggs or microscopic fungal spores that will start a new and deadly infestation of forest pests.
Aged or seasoned wood is not considered safe to move, but commercially kiln-dried wood is a good option if you must transport firewood.
If you have already moved firewood, and you now know you need to dispose of it safely, burn it soon and completely.
Make sure to rake the storage area carefully and also burn the debris.
In the future, buy from a local source.
Tell your friends and others about the risks of moving firewood - no one wants to be responsible for starting a new pest infestation.
http://www.pestcontrolcenter.com
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