Michigan Begs Campers to Follow This Simple 10-Mile Rule

Dragging firewood from home to a Michigan campground seems harmless. After all, it's just wood, not a suitcase stuffed with contraband. Unfortunately, that bundle could be carrying tiny freeloaders capable of turning one cozy campfire into a long ecological nightmare.

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How Moving Firewood Spreads Invasive Species

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) say moving firewood is one of the most common ways invasive insects and plant diseases spread.

Michigan Pests and Diseases Hiding in Firewood

group of people near bonfire near trees during nighttime

More than 140 pests and diseases can hide inside untreated wood, travel hundreds of miles in your vehicle, and then emerge somewhere they never could have reached alone. Possible passengers include hemlock woolly adelgid, Asian longhorned beetle, and oak wilt. Many are nearly impossible to spot because even Michigan's invasive species understand the value of stealth.

Once these species set up camp, the threats they pose can be extremely difficult or even impossible to eliminate. They can kill native trees, damage wildlife habitat, reduce biodiversity, and trigger quarantines affecting communities and businesses. They also threaten Michigan's nearly $126 billion food and agriculture industry and $26 billion forest products industry.

How Michigan Campers Can Prevent an Invasive Disaster

brown firewood lot

The rule is beautifully simple: buy firewood where you plant to burn it. Non-certified wood should stay within 10 miles of where it was cut. For longer trips, look for Michigan's "Certified Invasive-Free" seal or the USDA certification shield. That wood has been heat-treated to destroy pests and diseases.

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Your leftover bundle is not special. Burn it completely where permitted, and do not bring it home. Michigan has enough uninvited invasive species already.