Campers who plan to build campfires need to be aware of Minnesota’s new firewood movement restrictions.

People are allowed to bring only approved firewood onto state lands. Firewood may be obtained when a person arrives at a state park, or from an approved firewood dealer.

State officials hope to prevent the importation of forest pests such as the emerald ash borer and gypsy moth, known to “hitchhike” on firewood from infected areas. The emerald ash borer is a tiny beetle that is devastating forests and neighborhoods in Canada and several of Minnesota’s neighboring states. To date, the beetle has killed more than 20 million ash trees and infested over 40,000 square miles in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, and Canada.

Approved firewood is:

• firewood offered for sale by vendors currently under contract with the DNR
• firewood offered for sale by vendors who have successfully completed an application process requiring that a proof of purchase is provided to customers, and requiring that the wood originated within Minnesota and within 100 miles of where it will be used
• firewood offered for sale by vendors that is documented to have been treated by a method that ensures it is free of emerald ash borers.

Many park visitors bring firewood with them when camping in state parks or forest campgrounds. Officials want to change this practice by requiring campers to purchase wood when arriving at the state campsite facility, or from an approved vendor on the way.

The three approved treatment methods include removal of bark and the outer one-half inch of sapwood; kiln drying of firewood to United States Department of Agriculture specifications; or heat-treating firewood to U.S. Department of Agriculture specifications.

Movement of firewood has been closely associated with the spread of several very damaging forest pests, as well as the pathogens that cause Dutch elm disease and oak wilt. Minnesota’s forests and neighborhood trees are at particular risk from emerald ash borer. Ash were used extensively as street trees to replace elms lost to Dutch elm disease in the 1970s and 1980s. The state has the third largest volume of ash timber in the nation.

For more information about firewood on state lands, call the DNR’s Information Center at (651) 296-6157 or toll-free at 1-888-MINNDNR (646-6367), or visit the DNR Web site at www.dnr.state.mn.us and click on the “Leave Firewood at Home” button.