moving firewood - emerald ash borer, Dutch Elm, Thousand-cankers disease

[Ashful]

I've been offered free firewood from multiple sources in recent weeks, and I expect I'll take advantage of much of it. However, we've had several problems in our area (I'm a close neighbor of BrowningBAR), particularly with Thousand-cankers disease affecting black walnuts, and most recengly the Emerald Ash Borer. My yard has at least 40 black walnuts, so I definitely want to avoid bringing any diseased walnut onto my property, but what about other species? Is there any danger in moving potentially infected Ash onto a property with no ash?

It opens up a wider question, as most have to purchase their firewood, and do not know the source. Knowing much of it comes from arborists, who spend a lot of their time taking down diseased trees, this must be a common issue.

So, putting aside those who are able to harvest all their wood from their own property, what is one to do?

 

[smokinj]

Double catch 22, but if your not bringing it from a long distance its already there.

 

[midwestcoast]

I've never even heard of Thousand Cankers diease so no comment there.
As to EAB: I live on a front line of the borer advance. Ash is essentially off my scrounging list now as I won't take any from outside my immediate neighborhood (like within a block or so) & there isn't any that close anyway. I'd probably pass on other species from a lot with EAB active on ash trees (just in-case they're hitch-hiking), but that hasn't come up.
The danger I see with moving infected Ash is you're helping the bug spread, maybe not to your own trees, but to those nearby.
Scrounge close to home. Gas is 'spensive anyway.

As for purchased wood, well you could look it over before you buy, but essentially you're relying on the supplier to be responsible.

 

[ScotO]

I'm pretty sure the rule of thumb (in PA) is to not transport your firewood more than 50 square miles from where you cut it. Either way you look at it, you're only stalling the inevitable from happening. Until they come back with some sort of environmentally safe pesticide, all bugs are going to go out of control. I can't figure out why they are so hell-bent on cloning animals and studying deep space when we have pest infestations here on earth that need a safe method of eradication figured out. It boggles my mind. OK I'm done ranting.....

 

[Flatbedford]

In NY we have a 50 limit for the transport of firewood.

Scotty, I hear you. There must not be much money in saving trees.

 

[Ashful]

In this case, the distance is 9 miles drive, but it seems both the EAB and the recent Walnut blight are both relatively local problems, as in side of the county has it and the other doesn't. Again... maybe just a matter of timing / innevitable. Also, not saying this wood cache has either problem, but just wanting to know the general rules to live by.

Thanks!

 

[ScotO]

In this case, the distance is 9 miles drive, but it seems both the EAB and the recent Walnut blight are both relatively local problems, as in side of the county has it and the other doesn't. Again... maybe just a matter of timing / innevitable. Also, not saying this wood cache has either problem, but just wanting to know the general rules to live by.

Thanks!

If it's only 9 miles away you're gonna be fine. Get it. Because if that stuff you are bringing home has any pests/funguses, it's most likely already at your house too...

 

[chinkapin_oak]

Personally, if there's 1000 canker desease in your area I wouldn't transport any wood, especially if you have walnut. I haven't read much about the desease, but it sounds like it poses an extreme threat to the black walnut populations. If we're talking about walnut that already has 1000 canker, I would just pile the wood up on site and have a big bonfire. Forget about the firewood.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

With the EAB, the spread is sometimes a bit weird. In our state the borer showed up long before it did here. I also recall one city about 30 miles from us cutting all the ash trees to attempt to stop the spread. It did nothing except make a lot of bare areas. Every place they tried to slow or stop the advance, they failed. I was heart broken when I saw the first ash on our place with the telltale D shaped holes. Of course we cut that tree and burned it but it did nothing to stop the bug. We've cut a lot of ash off our place and still not done but all are dead. We are hoping that the trees will make a comeback but nobody seems to know if they will or not. Well, at least it makes excellent firewood.