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| Photo: Larry Grand |
With a chill in the air and leaves
turning brilliant colors here in Raleigh, our thoughts turn to cozy firesides,
big bonfires, and warm campfires after a long day’s hike. With this in mind, we
asked Rob Trickel of the North Carolina Forest Service for a timely reminder
about the dangers of moving firewood.
Invasive Pests and Firewood Movement
Non-native invasive forest pathogens
and insect species have potential to cause great harm to North Carolina’s
forests and landscapes. The fungus that causes laurel wilt is killing redbays and swampbays in the Coastal Plain and we think it
may also devastate sassafras across the state. Other invasive diseases and
insects that have the potential to cause great harm to walnuts (thousand cankers disease), ash (emerald ash borer), and a variety of hardwoods (gypsy moth) are found in counties in Tennessee and Virginia adjacent to our state
(see current invasive monitoring map). In addition, Asian longhorn beetle is devastating a wide variety of hardwood tree species in
the Northeast and Midwest, and has the potential to do the same here. All of these pests have the following in
common: they move naturally from place
to place at a very slow rate, but can be spread rapidly if moved in firewood.
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| Emerald Ash Borer Galleries in firewood. Photo: Troy Kimoto, Canadian Food Inspection Agency |
Moving firewood can introduce
invasive pests to new ecosystems, where they can cause ecological, economical,
and social problems in our forests. In response to the rapid spread of
emerald ash borer via firewood, some states have even enacted laws regulating
the movement of firewood to slow the spread of invasive species. North
Carolina is approaching the problem with public awareness and education campaigns
and has joined with other southeastern states to promote the use of local
firewood or firewood that has been treated or certified to be
pest-free.
As part of the effort, the Changing
Roles program of the USDA-Forest Service has developed two fact sheets about
firewood movement as a means of spreading invasive species to new areas. These fact sheets help equip our partners who work with various audiences (consumers and producers of
firewood) with information to combat the spread of invasive pests.
Fact Sheet
5.4 (Invasive Species and Firewood Movement) is firewood/invasive species 101
and covers: What is firewood? What types of invasive pests are transported
in firewood? Why is the movement of firewood a pathway for the spread of
invasive pests? What are the ecological, economical and social effects of invasive
pests?
Fact Sheet
5.5 (Preventing Firewood Movement) concentrates on how to engage a variety of
audiences on firewood issues including: How do we (foresters, extension
staff, natural resource professionals) communicate with and engage
different audiences on this important topic? How do we work with homeowners and
outdoor enthusiasts (also parks and campground staff, arborists and green
industry professionals, wood processors and producers) to combat the spread of
invasive pests? How is the movement of firewood regulated? And, where can
I find more information about preventing firewood movement?
You can find more information about
firewood movement and forest health, excellent images of the insects and
diseases that can be spread by moving firewood, some very entertaining videos
at www.dontmovefirewood.org
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| Photo: Rob Trickel |
Prepared by Rob Trickel, Forest
Health Branch Head, North Carolina Forest Service
