MDC wants campers to leave firewood at home

For many Missourians, summer means float trips, camping, and spending lots of time outdoors. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) encourages people not to move firewood. Don’t give tree-killing insects and diseases rides to favorite camping locations. Instead, buy firewood at or near the camping destination.

Invasive, tree-killing pests can hitchhike in firewood, moving much farther with campers in a single weekend than they could in years on their own.

“Once in a new location, these pests can start new infestations that destroy forests, decrease property values, and costs lots of money to manage,” said MDC Forest Entomologist Rob Lawrence. “The closest convenient source of firewood to your campsite or bonfire is also the safest source of firewood from a pest perspective.”

Pests that pose the biggest threats to Missouri include: emerald ash borer, Asian longhorned beetle, and thousand cankers disease of black walnut. Spring and summer are the most popular seasons for transporting these tree-killing pests.

~Read more of this story in today’s Journal~