Invasive Bugs Spread Through Firewood

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The other day I posted an article about the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources placing a limitation on where people can get firewood to bring onto lands controlled by the DNR. The press release I was sent by MDNR contained little information about the whys and wherefores of the new law. I made some of my own assumptions but left it up to readers to leave comments on why this law was being enacted.

The general consensus is to stop the spread of invasive bugs that can destroy vegetation. This is how it was explained to me by Gary Inman, who is a wildlife biologist along with his wife, Lesley.

Tom;
The firewood issue on forest campgrounds is not just happening in Minnesota. It is being considered in many other areas, including ours (meaning his state of Maine). It seems that the new forest pests that are now defoliating and killing many of our native forest trees are being transported by well meaning campers. They stop here tonight, then maybe four of five hundred miles away tomorrow night. If the fire wood is not used at each stop it may reach Alaska in a couple of weeks. Seems simple, but carries a big economic problem if the invasive insects get a foothold.

Gary

And it seems that Gary is quite correct when comparing the comments left by other readers. Jack Ryan from Indiana says:

Itâ€™s probably an attempt to contol the spread of invasive pests such as we are attempting here in Indiana with the emerald ash bore. Many insect pest hitch a ride in fire wood.

Scott in Wisconsin says the same thing is going to happen there.

Jack Ryan is correct. The Wisc. DNR will have the same restrictions soon. We would like to keep our ash trees as long as possible.

And Kristine Shreve from the Gunslinger, says they got something like this going on in UP Michigan.

We have something similar in the UP of Michigan. The pest is called, I believe, the Emerald Ash Borer. Youâ€™re not allowed to bring wood from the Lower Peninsula into the UP because theyâ€™re trying to keep the Borers from teh Upper Peninsula.

Iâ€™m guessing this is something like that.

So thank you to everyone who took the time to share experiences. But now I have a couple of questions that I think need to be answered and I certainly don’t have the answers, only suggestions.

The first question that comes to mind is how do you enforce such a law? I could see in areas where a gate has to be entered to get onto these lands, an inspection could take place. Otherwise how else could it really be enforced? I’ll agree that at least at this point in time any lessening of the transport of an invasive insect would be helpful. Is there a better way? Can someone explain this to me?

Which all this leads to my second question. Isn’t education perhaps the most effective way to do this? And if it is, why didn’t the DNR include an information portion with the press release that would have explained to me and thusly to all the readers that this is a problem and what we need to do to stop it?

My next mission will be to contact at least the MDNR and ask them to do such a thing and explain why.

Tom Remington

http://www.maineoutdoorstoday.com/crews David R Crews

When I read your first article on the firewood law and then saw Jack Ryan’s comment I thought the same as you–why wasn’t the info about the law being put into effect due to insect infestation put in the press release?
Campers are out for some freedom and many of us think like you have expressed in your first article and will wonder why the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (and now iI see also other states’ agencies) are putting such restrictions on where a camper gets their firewood. My first reaction was similar as yours; I thought that the law was passed to keep the firewood sales in local hands, and many campers prefer to get their firewood from their other places like from blow downs or other trees on their own properties back home.
You get a great deal of respect in the outdoors world, so I wish you full success in–”My next mission will be to contact at least the MDNR and ask them to do such a thing and explain why.”
Most outdoors people will follow this law if they know it is definitely for all of our benefit–including the woods themselves. Many of us have seen the large-scale effects of insects that kill trees, and we will not do anything so dumb as to bring in any firewood with us on camping trips that might contain little critters that can kill all the trees on whole mountainsides.
http://indianahuntingtoday.com/forums/index.php?sid=0009f5d5912d12e683b35ac5f197eeeb Jack Ryan

Here in Indiana most of the state parks have gates where they will look for fire wood. They take an even closer look at out of state plates. If they find any it is confiscated and burnt by the park officials promptly.

The lumber industry is greatly affected by this as well. They are inspected before moving any timber and timber products from known infested areas are restricted.

One problem I see is people buying firewood for home heating. I don’t think this is very well regulated by any thing more than the cost of gasoline prohibits the cost efficiency in transporting firewood for profit.
http://indianahuntingtoday.com/forums/index.php?sid=0009f5d5912d12e683b35ac5f197eeeb Jack Ryan

http://lists.in.gov/pipermail/wildbulletin/2006-May/000205.html

http://www.indyhike.org/article3.htm
http://www.blackbearblog.com Tom Remington

Thanks for the comments David and Jack thanks for the added information. I may end up using that as an information sheet for readers.

FYI – I sent an email off to Minnesota DNR and asked if they could explain how they intend to enforce this new law and suggest that they include an information sheet with all PRs concerning this topic.

I haven’t heard back, yet. Will I? We’ll see.

Invasive Bugs Spread Through Firewood

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