Here’s a tip that can help us in the Conejo Valley keep our trees healthy: This camping season, get your firewood from a vendor close to where you’re going camping. Don’t bring your own firewood! The problem is that invasive insects and diseases in dead and dying wood can threaten the native trees and forests where you’re going camping. If you move firewood, you could be giving pests a free ride to new territory.
Just one example of a pest moving in firewood is the emerald ash borer (EAB), a destructive, invasive insect from Asia. This was a problem that hit the midwest, but similar problems have occurred in Southern California. EAB is responsible for more than 20 million dead and dying ash trees and millions of dollars in damage in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
For more information, please visit the following website operated by the U.S. Forest Service — aptly called the Firewood Forum.