North Carolina forestry officials say people should use local firewood because evidence suggests that several tree-killing insects are being carried into the region by people toting firewood from other states.
The redbay ambrosia beetle, which transmits the destructive laurel wilt, and the gypsy moth have been discovered along the borders of North Carolina. Laurel wilt has been confirmed in northern South Carolina by state and federal forestry officials. The European gypsy moth has been found in some northeastern counties of our state.
The insects, known as non-native invasive species, are making their way across state borders in a number of ways but the biggest culprit is firewood, forestry officials say.
The gypsy moth lays egg masses on firewood. Other invasive insects, including the redbay ambrosia beetle, the emerald ash borer, Sirex woodwasp, and the Asian longhorned beetle, can complete their life cycle within the firewood and emerge as adults at a new location. Invasive pathogens can also be present on firewood and produce spores that infect and kill oaks.
North Carolina residents and visitors should use local firewood that comes from within a 50 miles radius of where it was cut. Firewood should never be brought into North Carolina from other states. If firewood has unknowingly been brought into our state or has been moved long distances across the state, make sure to burn all the firewood as soon as possible. Campers should never leave unburned firewood at a campsite.
Also, homeowners with dead redbay trees should keep cut trees on their property. Proper disposal of redbay includes leaving wood on-site, cutting or chipping wood on-site, or burning wood on-site in compliance with local ordinances. Dead trees should not be taken to a landfill or somewhere else to be used as firewood.
To learn more, go to www.dontmovefirewood.org/ or http://dfr.nc.gov. For more information, call Brian R. Haines, public information officer with the N.C. Division of Forest Resources, at (919) 857-4828.