CalFire: Don’t transport firewood
The Buy It Where You Burn It campaign is reminding everyone to cut or buy firewood locally and use it locally.
Additionally, CalFire says if you plan on camping and traveling outside the area, get your firewood from the area you are going too, do not transport wood from your backyard because of the potential to spread diseases and pests. Also, leave unburned firewood where you bought it.
Examples of insects and diseases that have affected California include:
The Goldspotted Oak Borer (an invasive beetle in San Diego County likely brought into the state on firewood) has killed tens of thousands of oak trees all over San Diego County since 2004 when it was first found.
Sudden Oak Death is a disease found on the California coast and as far east as Solano County and has killed tanoaks and other oak species from British Columbia, Canada to Monterey County.
Pine Pitch Canker is a disease (fungus) affecting Monterey and Bishop pine trees. However, most western pine species including commercial species such as sugar pine and ponderosa pine are susceptible. Pitch Canker has been found along most of the California coast encompassing an area over 23 million acres.
The only reason that anyone transports any large quantity of firewood is to save or make money. Could there be any regulatory unintended consequences from environmental law that have caused this? Is there enough wood available locally to meet the demand? As serious as disease and insects are to our economy, this must be a consideration for all of us, but regulators must consider the effects of their regulations.
the clown that lives next door to me is poaching firewood from everywhere he can find it and has a illegal sales lot in his front yard. Its a huge fire hazard and im very worried about how he plans on keeping it from going up in flames if there is ever a fire like Angora was where there was no water pressure and he had probably 8 cords being rained hot ash on. The local fire station/captain hasnt seen the problem and seems to look the other way when asked how it is that they can have a sales lot in a neighborhood. Maybe the fire marshall is afraid of his viscious dogs that guard the place