Don’t move firewood, or your trees may be next in the woodpile

As you load your vehicle for your upcoming trip up north, leave the firewood at home. Insects and diseases that can damage or kill healthy trees may be hitchhiking their way to your favorite spot in the woods.

Most people collect firewood from dead trees, and trees can die from a variety of causes. Bugs and diseases that kill trees often continue to live in the dead wood and could become the source of infestation in a new area.

“The best plan is to leave your firewood at home and burn wood that’s already in the area,” said Jane Cummings-Carlson, forest health expert with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. “Insects and diseases that could affect your woodlot already have several ways they can move around. Don’t help them spread by giving them a free ride in your car or truck.”

Tree and plant health specialists at the Wisconsin Departments of Natural Resources and Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection are working together to inform the public of the hazards of moving infested firewood. Specific problems include the fungus that causes oak wilt and insects such as the two-lined chestnut borer and the gypsy moth.

“For example, gypsy moth eggs can survive over winter on dead wood. If infested wood from eastern Wisconsin is left unused in the northwest part of the state, we’ll have a new infestation on our hands years before it might’ve occurred naturally,” Cummings-Carlson said.

Experts also advise against bringing firewood home from your trip to the woods, especially if you have been traveling in areas that are known to have oak wilt, gypsy moth or the two-lined chestnut borer.

“In Michigan, a new exotic insect called the Emerald Ash Borer has killed millions of trees in the southeastern part of the state,” Cummings-Carlson said. “We haven’t detected it in Wisconsin and we don’t want to.”

Some states, including Michigan and Ohio, have quarantines in place to prevent the movement of ash wood products, including firewood, and you should be aware of such regulations if they exist. Some Townships in Wisconsin have similar regulations, particularly those with high levels of oak wilt, so check with your local municipality before you move any wood products.

“Traveling to or coming home from your favorite spot, the best advice is to leave the firewood behind,” Cummings-Carlson said.

For more information, contact Jane Cummings-Carlson, Forest Health Coordinator with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, at (608) 275-3273 or jane.cummings-carlson@dnr.state.wi.us