Firewood & the Fight against EAB – The Do’s and Don’ts of Preserving Illinois Landscape

Before you begin to gather and transport firewood in Illinois for that beautiful campfire you are preparing for, there are a few things you need to know.  Due to the infestation of Emerald Ash Borer, or EAB, in the State of Illinois, there are state and federal government regulations that must be adhered to when you purchase, cut down, or even gather what appears to be “just dead” wood.  More importantly, you need to be aware of the devastating affect a simple plan of a campfire can have on the Illinois Landscape when you transport just one small piece of infested wood to a different location.

The entire State of Illinois has been federally regulated by placing all ash products under quarantine.  This includes ash nursery stock, green lumber, logs, stumps, roots, branches and non-composited wood chips.  Because distinguishing the hardwood firewood type is nearly impossible by sight – all hardwood firewood (oak, maple, hickory, and ash) are regulated under the quarantine.

What this means for firewood distributors and producers is they are not allowed to move any hardwood firewood out of the State of Illinois.  (There are very stringent regulations and precautions that must be followed and inspection made before migration out of State will even be considered permissible.) 

Now, here is where the tricky part of the quarantine comes in, more so for those of us who just want to build a simple fire to relax around on a cool summer night.   The USDA allows firewood that originated in Illinois to move freely within Illinois State lines.  However, The Illinois Department of Agriculture has an interior quarantine in place that states firewood that originated in the interior quarantine (a known infested area) must not leave the interior quarantine.  In other words, the IDA urges (and enforces) confirmed infested areas to burn ash firewood at origin site and transporting firewood off site should be kept to an almost non-existent minimal.  Keep in mind, there are those stringent regulations by the IDA for migrating, that also apply within the interior boundaries, mentioned above.   The ultimate goal is to keep all firewood local.  Simply stated, firewood that is produced, distributed, sold, bought, gathered, etc. locally should be burned locally.  No matter where you camp in the State of Illinois, you will be asked to burn all of your firewood before leaving, and you will not be permitted to transport left over wood home with you.  “No log shall be left unburned.”

Educating the citizens of Illinois of the risks associated with movement of firewood and other products is an ultimate goal that needs to be met, especially in these critical times where more and more ash trees are dying and becoming readily available as firewood.  So think before you pick up that dead branch, or buy your next bushel of firewood and start traveling with it.   Help preserve the Illinois Landscape by knowing the boundaries of the quarantines, and better yet, know you could be hauling a lot more than just wood.

If you have any questions, please contact one of our tree experts who specialize in the fight against Emerald Ash Borer and the preservation of our landscape.  Let us inspect before you infest!