firewood quarantine??????

[DWittenbreder]

Over the past couple of weeks I have read in the newspaper talks about the emerald ash borer, now I see Pennsylvania has banned all wood transportation across state lines. This is a great concern for me as I get all my firewood from NJ. I'm wondering if this affects logging operations as well?

 

[Brushwacker]

Here in IN you are not allowed to transport any decidious firewood across the statelines. My understanding with logs only ash logs are restricted.
I do not know about PA.
It bugs me why the firewood is so restricted. I sell 95% oak and cherry,0% ash. So I guess it is illegal for me to take firewood in IL now.
I worked part time for the DNR locating new sites for EAB 2 years ago. The little sapsuckers can not live in deadwood such as 6 month old seasoned firewood and they have'nt been known to exist in other decidious trees( only ash) to my knowledge. The DNR doesn't seem to have any concern with people whose lives are affected by firewood sales. If they did they could easily loosen the restrictions. I believe from what I observed EAB is moved around primarily on fresh cut ash only . or live trees such as ash nursery stock.

 

[mga]

they did something like that in NY too...something about not bringing firewood from canada unless it was kiln dried....or something like that.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

they did something like that in NY too...something about not bringing firewood from canada unless it was kiln dried....or something like that.

Kiln-dried wood that is clearly marked "USDA Certified" and bears the producer's name and address is exempt from the ban here in PA.

 

[Firewood Guy USA]

Most of you already answered the restricting firewood in quarantine regions issues. treat your firewood via kiln drying as USDA recommends and you will be most likely be exempt from the movement of firewood in all areas as the loggers do.

 

[goof008]

The EAB is out of control here, your not really supposed to let wood leave your county. And definitely not into the U.P. It has killed just about every ash tree around here. It makes it easy to decide what trees to cut down...the dead ones. But you also have to remember. You could line up 999 honest guys that have nothing but well seasoned, non-ash trees that would be ok to take anywhere in the country. Then throw in the one greedy SOB that says "It won't hurt to take this fresh ash tree I cut down...it's pretty dry to begin with, so it'll burn fine....no one will be the wiser". That is they guy they are trying to keep in check. The rest of you are just paying the price. I've had to rebuild 3 tree stands where I hunt, and find 2 new areas for my climber to go up since the trees I used before were ash. It's all over the place here, and trust me you don't want it there.

 

[fast*st]

Has anyone done an impromptu kiln dry with an outdoor
wood pile? Something to speed drying along perhaps with
a forced air heater and careful tarping? True it would not
be kiln dried but 200F should kill most little critters.

Seems that I recall that burning 1 gallon of fuel releases
1 gallon of water vapor. So I guess the question would
be, can the wood be heated enough that this water vapor
doesn't condense on the wood itself. I suppose a vapor
barrier on the ground would curb the rising moisture from
below as well.

-Jason

 

[johnha]

...You could line up 999 honest guys that have nothing but well seasoned, non-ash trees that would be ok to take anywhere in the country. Then throw in the one greedy SOB that says "It won't hurt to take this fresh ash tree I cut down...it's pretty dry to begin with, so it'll burn fine....no one will be the wiser". That is they guy they are trying to keep in check. The rest of you are just paying the price....

Soooo..... you think a new rule is going to keep the 1 greedy guy from doing something unscrupulous? The 999 honest guys will obey it, the 1 guy is not going to pay any attention to the restriction.

 

[njtuna]

spoke to a forest ranger a few months ago, had an interesting conversation. he said that the ash borer was originally found in michigan/ohio area, and a quarantined was established. at the same time, a nursery that had a significant stock of ash trees was looking at taking a big hit, financially, and sold its entire inventory to some municipality/ies in maryland, defying the quarantine. so this guy is single-handedly responsible for the ash borer's spread to that area. the ranger also felt the it is only a matter of time until the ash is extinct, because of the emerald ash borer. apparently the asian long-horned beetle is quite a lazy creature, crawling from tree to tree, making containment of an infestation much easier. the ash borer is the opposite, however, flying as it pleases and spreading like wildfire.

 

[goof008]

Soooo..... you think a new rule is going to keep the 1 greedy guy from doing something unscrupulous? The 999 honest guys will obey it, the 1 guy is not going to pay any attention to the restriction.

No, I don't. But if it's a law and on the books and the one greedy guy is caught, then it's worth having. Especially if means not killing off all these trees. Not sure if you guys have them down there, but I just rode down the old rail bed here, and was out at the woods I hunt in about 1/2 hour away. I could cut 8 hours a day for over a week and not get all the easy to get to standing dead ash trees. I'm talking about the ones no more than 20 feet in off the field. Now consider I hunt on 350 acres of hardwoods. There has to be thousands of them dead in there.
Unfortunately, laws only keep the honest people honest. But if they allow the guilty to be punished, then they're worth having.

 

[ropensaddle]

spoke to a forest ranger a few months ago, had an interesting conversation. he said that the ash borer was originally found in michigan/ohio area, and a quarantined was established. at the same time, a nursery that had a significant stock of ash trees was looking at taking a big hit, financially, and sold its entire inventory to some municipality/ies in maryland, defying the quarantine. so this guy is single-handedly responsible for the ash borer's spread to that area. the ranger also felt the it is only a matter of time until the ash is extinct, because of the emerald ash borer. apparently the asian long-horned beetle is quite a lazy creature, crawling from tree to tree, making containment of an infestation much easier. the ash borer is the opposite, however, flying as it pleases and spreading like wildfire.

The problem to me is epa getting rid of any pesticide that works and
substituting one that doesn't went through this with 24d ,diazinon
chlorodane these chemicals killed the buggers. Then they bring in some
new underpowered chemical that they will say causes worse health in
twenty years and do away with it as well. I remember when there were
no fire ants and they sprayed the ditches with 24d then me thinks if
works why change to something only time will tell it's environmental
result and will be as bad or worse than the chemical that worked.

 

[johnha]

.... the ash borer is the opposite, however, flying as it pleases and spreading like wildfire.

If the EAB spreads like wildfire, what good is a quarantine? Are the bureaucrats hoping the bugs will pay attention to it?

 

[goof008]

I don't think it has gotten to the northern part of Michigan, and certainly not to the Upper Penninsula, so it is working, or at least it's slowing the advance of them.

 

[Al Smith]

I hate to be negative but I seriously doubt the EAB can be brought under control.It,along with other devastating tree and plant pestulances was imported to these shores through globalized shipments of goods from abroad.

It works the same way as a common cold killed off the native peoples of Alaska, brought on by the fur trappers .The trees,like the native population had no natural defenses against this invader.

As far as transporting firewood,I don't think you are supposed the cross county lines around these parts.I would imagine though it will be done any way because it would be next to impossible to prevent.

 

[Peacock]

Are all types of ash trees susceptible? Our farm has 100acres of woods and white ash are a dominate species. Green ash are common too, just not nearly as common as white ash.

 

[RCR 3 EVER]

Ash Quarantine In Mi

All of Southern peninsula of Mi is under Quarantine with no ash to be taken across bridge to U.P or into Canada or other states.
Our cabin property in Oceana county was exempt up until this year, so we could bring dead ash firewood into quarantine areas to sell. Our trees in Oceana county have not shown signs of the borer prior to dying.
I feel it will eventually get everywhere and destroy all ashes despite the quarantine,since you always have those idiots not adhering to the rules.
It is just like the zebra mussel problem. It started in Lake St. Clair but boats were primary problem in spreading the problem to all the lakes that had boat access. Even the smallest lakes have zebra mussels now. When we had our 24' boat on trailer we always flushed engine and washed boat and trailer prior to going to other lakes so we would not spread those evil things.
Responsible boaters did not spread the problem or enhance it and responsible wood sellers will not not sell or transport bad wood to non quarantine areas. At the MI EAB web site it also states that all hardwood may not leave the quarantined areas.:jawdrop:
I think all ash trees are susceptible to the borer but some are more resistant, not sure which ones though.
Our .5 acre yard in SE MI had 10 ashes in 2 varieties and now we have one slowly dying tree left.
We also have 1 Chinkapin Oak that is largest tree in city at 135" circumference and 95' high that we constantly monitor for Gypsy moth problem.

 

[johnha]

So from what I can see the quarantine will do absolutely nothing to prevent the demise of my Ash trees, though it makes bureaucrats and politicians look like they are doing something.

What, if anything, can *I* do to protect my ash trees assuming the EABs themselves aren't going to obey the quarantine and will eventually reach SE PA?

 

[Spockbob]

Here in NW PA the ash borer has been around for a long time. It's like the weather forecast when they issue a warning 1/2 hour after the storm has passed. Big problem here is the new pine borer, I hope it never hits Cook's forest.

 

[njtuna]

there is also an indigenous ash borer that does not kill the tree.

 

[HUSKYMAN]

goof008, what part of Michigan do you live in? I am in Birch Run and while the borer has been found in Saginaw County it has not hit my woods yet luckily. I just cut down a nice ash yesterday to make the foundation for a bridge I am making.

We also have Beech bark disease coming, which has no cure I guess and is getting almost no attention or funding due to the ash borer. The DNR says beech bark disease will eventually get every beech in the state. I cherish my beech trees more than ash, they attract a lot of wildlife.