Burning Infected Ash

[Homelite]

There is a house a few blocks away that had a good sized ash partially cut down (approx. 24" dbh) and they are having problems with the tree removal company removing the wood. I stopped by and asked if I could have the wood for burning next year. They said it was infected and couldn't be burned. The tree looked healthy (what was left) with no evidence of dead or dying limbs, no loose bark, and definitely no classic "D"-shaped holes on the bark. I mentioned that I didn't think that the borers (if they were even there) would pose much of a threat during the cold of the winter and with the tree cut, they wouldn't have anything to feed off of and any resulting larvae would likely die due to the tree having been cut. There is a lot of tree left, everything they couldn't chip, and it would be nice to get seing as how close it is. I just hope the owners weren't taken for a ride on the scare that it may be infected. There are a lot of "fly-by-night" tree trimmers around here, but I hope tis isn't the case.

Can it be burned?

 

[bsearcey]

Heck yeah. Most of the guys in the northern EAB areas are strictly burning it. I've never heard that wood can't be burned if it is infested with bugs. The only thing you can't do is transport it more than 30 miles or take it into state park/forest.

 

[Guido Salvage]

Can it be burned?

According to the Virginia Department of Conservation Resources, Virginia has lost less than 300 trees so far so I am not up on the legal side of the question. I do know that there are bans in place for transporting wood as this can lead to the spread of the beetle. In fact, you can no longer bring firewood into the Shenandoah National Park for this reason. However, one of the methods that is used to eradicate the beetle is to burn infected trees. The link below may give you some guidance:

http://www.stopthebeetle.info/

 

[pwoller]

First off it was infected by now they are on to the next tree. The best thing you can do is burn it where it drops. Or within the county. I've cut alot of EAB ash trees and the wood is still really good, the beatle only goes underneath the bark. Hell I've used some to carve furniture and you'd never know that they had EAB.

 

[Ductape]

As already stated...... burn it up !! With Ash, you can cut / split it now and burn it at the tail end of THIS winter if you need to.

 

[banjobart]

It's all I have been burning for several years now. I keep a neighbor and a friend in all the wood they need to heat, free. The beetle larvae are long gone once the tree is dead, they have morphed into a beetle and booked, flown the coop. The larvae girdle the tree and kill it by eating the growing cambium layer under the bark. You will see their track scars under the bark. Ash is as good as any firewood out there. Every ash tree in the lower peninsula of Michigan is dead or dying. The only travel restriction left here is that we cannot take it into the UP over the Mackinaw bridge. The other restrictions have been off for several years, it is a bit late after the trees are dead. You can tell a dying tree because it is in stress and sending out suckers from the trunk and main stem.

 

[sachsmo]

It's all I have been burning for several years now. I keep a neighbor and a friend in all the wood they need to heat, free. The beetle larvae are long gone once the tree is dead, they have morphed into a beetle and booked, flown the coop. The larvae girdle the tree and kill it by eating the growing cambium layer under the bark. You will see their track scars under the bark. Ash is as good as any firewood out there. Every ash tree in the lower peninsula of Michigan is dead or dying. The only travel restriction left here is that we cannot take it into the UP over the Mackinaw bridge. The other restrictions have been off for several years, it is a bit late after the trees are dead. You can tell a dying tree because it is in strees and sending out suckers from the trunk and main stem.

Heating with borer killed ash right now. Going to mill a bunch up next spring too.

Here's the ugly;

 

[dingeryote]

As long as you keep it within the quarantine area, there is no legal reason it cannot be moved or burned.

I'm working on burning one of my EAB killed Ash trees right now.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[atvdave]

Have used it myself also... No problems that I can see. All the bug's are long gone from the wood.

 

[flewism]

As long as you keep it within the quarantine area, there is no legal reason it cannot be moved or burned.

I'm working on burning one of my EAB killed Ash trees right now.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

Exactly what he said, your DNR website should show the quarantine zone for your state. I've burned quite a few cords of it myself in the past few years.

 

[stackwood]

Up here in north central CT we have hundreds of white ash fallen over from the eab , I think it burns great , got 14 cords and counting :chainsawguy:

 

[sachsmo]

It IS the "Kings" wood.