Check Point at state line

Most states have some sort of consent law regarding driving. If you refuse they can use that as reason to detain you. Kind of like a sobriety checkpoint. Everyone has to stop and if you try to run they come after you. I don't think you'd win in that situation.

As far as I know the 4th Amendment still exists in Connecticut.

You could absolutely refuse the search. That doesn't mean that they may not fabricate another reason to search your vehicle.

Chimney Smoke said:

Most states have some sort of consent law regarding driving. If you refuse they can use that as reason to detain you. Kind of like a sobriety checkpoint. Everyone has to stop and if you try to run they come after you. I don't think you'd win in that situation.

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This is a completely different subject. The supreme court has ruled that a DUI check point does not violate your rights and this stop does not include a search of your vehicle or persons with out additional Reasonable Articulate Suspicion (RAS). They have not made the same ruling regarding firewood search and seizure.

I think they would have to have suspicion to search. This is analogous to the immigration checkpoints that are not at the border (you may have seen the videos of people refusing to answer questions).

All that said- I'm a proponent of keeping people from moving potentially infected firewood, just not a fan of unwarranted search etc.

As a regular, educated, citizen I expect that if I refused to allow them to search that I would be detained as the "refusal" is all the cause they need. Certainly not worth the beating.

Unbelievable. Is this the biggest issue that the CSP has to worry about? This progressive dump gets worse everyday. How were they pulling people over? You have every right to refuse, just like in a sobriety checkpoint. Even in CT, you are a Citizen, not a subject.

Pretty sure they can not search. It was probably just more of an "awareness" stop on behalf of the Mass boys in blue. Even if you get stopped at a check point for a DUI and you get arrested, they still can not search, however, when they tow your vehicle and impound it they will "inventory" the vehicle. While doing their inventory IF they find anything illegal, they must stop the inventory, and get a warrant to change it to a "search" of the vehicle. Not speaking from personal experience, just know a guy who's a prosecutor for a local PD.

Last time they had the border police on I-93 in Thornton NH (about 60 miles south of the border) I just looked at the guy and said, "Really?" he didn't even reply, just waved me through.... (guess it was the lack of a french accent?)

Did this whole situation actually even happen or is it just speculation?

Beer Belly said:

Wonder how they handle those who are carrying ???

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Better hope they have reciprocity between states or permits in each state.

We've had beech bark disease in Michigan for a few years now. First found around a couple of popular state park campgrounds, and brought with firewood from other areas. Likely Ontario, from what I read.

The first I saw EAB in Ohio that was very far from the Michigan border, was near the very popular state park campground at Hocking Hills.

That's how invasive species invade-with help from the unknowing. They don't decide it's just time to move a few thousand miles.

Don't know the legality of the search but when EAB first hit here the popo were concentrating on vehicles with plates from 1 or more states away. They did enforce more so on holiday weekends and near large campgrounds.
I did hear of wood confiscation.
As a vendor the USDA harassed me relentlessLEE for about 6 months with regulation and I literalLEE had to get angry with them to get my point across that the "50 mile rule" didn't apply to me because I don't transport more than 30 to begin with. The state/county line rule is a joke. My yard is 1/2 mile from 3 county lines, a state line and 3 miles from a state line inversion.
Most police with common sense aren't going to make a big deal of this. The USDA on the other hand will.

Seems like if you are transporting camp fire wood in small quantities you could build a small kiln and make it completely legal transport.
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/WoodDrying/wood_kiln.htm

Beer Belly said:

I wonder if I had time to park right there at the check point, I could help them move some of that confiscated wood to keep it in Connecticut.....easiest scrounge going

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A few years back some agency in Maine was supposedly stopping folks coming into the state with camp wood and trading them to keep the outta state wood at the bordah . . . often wondered whatever happened to that wood stash.

Beer Belly said:

The prices of firewood at the campgrounds equal somewhere around a couple of thousand dollars a cord.....not that I'm buying a cord, but at $7 a pop, for wood that burns for about 1/2 hour, and that's if it's seasoned (not likely) is a little crazy....so yes, I bring wood across state lines....goes from the bed of my truck, right into the fire, last thing I need is a check point. Wonder how they handle those who are carrying ???....and only stopping those towing a camper ??

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Ya, it's worth saving a few bucks. Should probably allow Liberian flights in unchecked too.

A DIY wood kiln would most likely not pass muster as I expect there would be a need for certification that the wood was brought up to a certain temperature and held for a certain period of time. Not likely with a solar kiln.

I do remember many comments and complaints during various ALB responses that the USDA has fairly broad reaching powers to prevent the spread of pests. I think it comes down to they can do anything they need to to stop the spread including cutting down trees on private property.

I was looking at camp lot on off a logging road that skirts the ME/NH border. I lot was in Maine but I was in NH and had to drive across the state line once or twice to get to the lot. I was kind of curious how I actually bring wood to the camp.

Of course over the years I have split various logs that looked clean and hit a pocket with grubs into it. My understanding of ALB is that at some point in the life cycle there is no sign of them infesting the wood from the outside of the log, They start out small and grow until they chew their way out.

I think the wood from the worcester ALB infestation was burned by a local trash to energy plant.