October is Firewood Month
October is Firewood Month, and that has us thinking about roasting marshmallows, cozy warm houses, and the impact moving firewood has on invasive species.
What’s the problem with moving firewood?
Many of the pests and pathogens that kill trees can survive in wood long after the tree is dead. Even seemingly healthy plants may harbor unseen hitchhikers, like spotted lanternfly egg masses. Transporting firewood to your house, campground, or to a vacation home then spreads the pests or pathogens with it and can be devastating to your favorite forest. You can avoid this issue by sourcing your firewood close to where you burn it.
Where should I get my firewood?
If you are cutting your own firewood, do so as close to where you are going to burn it as possible. There is no hard and fast rule about how far you can move firewood, but Don’t Move Firewood suggests keeping it within 10 miles whenever possible, and never more than 50 miles.
Also, keep these rules in mind:
- Firewood is not allowed to be brought into Massachusetts state campgrounds (you can buy kiln-dried firewood at the campground). There are similar rules in most other states and Canadian provinces. You can learn about these rules here.
- There is a quarantine area for the Asian longhorned beetle in the Greater Worcester area from which movement of firewood is not allowed. Learn more about that here.
If you want to buy firewood and aren’t sure where to get it, use these resources to find local sources:
- Massachusetts Community Wood Bank Program for people experiencing energy insecurity
- Local and national firewood finder: Stacked
- National firewood finder (note: this only includes participating states): Firewood Scout