Firewood Facts for Maine Residents
Firewood can move forest pests long distances.
- Insects and diseases can be in, on or under the bark of firewood, or even deep within the wood itself. You often cannot see if they are there.
- An invasive insect population might spread a few miles on its own in a single year.
- Moving infested wood can spread the same pest hundreds of miles in a single day.
- With global trade our forests are getting more pressure from insects and diseases inadvertently brought to North America and then moved with firewood.
What pests can be moved by firewood?
- Emerald ash borer is one of the scariest insects that can be moved with firewood. It has the potential to kill all ash in North America and has already killed millions of trees in the mid-west.
- Emerald ash borer is found in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and Ontario, Canada as of 2007. There is a federal quarantine on all firewood in all or portions these states and FIREWOOD CAN NOT BE TRANSPORTED ACROSS THESE STATELINES.
- Other serious insects and diseases can be moved with firewood as well. A few of these are: the Sirex woodwasp found in New York, Vermont and Ontario, Canada; Asian longhorned beetle in New York, New Jersey and Toronto, Canada; and oak wilt - a disease found in central US.
Did you Know?
Even within Maine, the movement of firewood is regulated to and from certain parts of the State because:
- gypsy moth - does not occur north of Houlton NOR in some other parts of North America
- hemlock woolly adelgid - only occurs in parts of York county and NOT in Canada
- larch canker - only occurs in parts of Knox, Lincoln, Washington and Waldo counties and NOT in western North America
- pine shoot beetle - does not occur in Aroostook and Washington counties NOR in southern states
What can you do to help?
- Let friends and relatives “from Away” know that they should leave their firewood at home
- Leave YOUR firewood home when you travel
- Buy wood where you burn it or buy kiln dried firewood - Don’t Give Bugs a Free Ride
