I live and Western Washington state and we don't have dry wood eating termites. It's pretty nice not to have to worry about them. But my buddy and i are going to go pick up a cord of cherry wood in central Washington and they DO have termites. I suspect if they survive the trip across the Cascades, our mild and wetter weather will kill them as their terrain is much more arid. Shrug. Maybe i am transporting and inviting a new problem in my home? I honestly don't know.
Here it is against the law to transport firewood across state lines for that reason; to eliminate the transfer of insects like the Emerald Ash Borer and the Hemlock Fungus that is plaguing states around us. Their recommendation is to not transport firewood beyond 50 miles even within the state of Maine (though it is not illegal). We don't have termites here either, but that would be the least of my concerns. I have 10 acres of Hi-Bred Larch that is under quarantine because of a Bark Beetle infestation that came over from a ship from Finland.
It is very much Illegal to transport firewood in most of the country I found out the hard way and I was told the fine up to $10.000.00. As Lodgedtree said above so best to leave it where it is. One time driving through Ohio I stopped in at the scale house on I75 there was a pile of wood sitting there which was off loaded.
He is not taking wood across state lines. Central Washington to Western Washington. The Lodge Pole I cut down is 100 miles away and it is not breaking any laws. It depends on the state you live in and what is going on there.
Best way to do it is to kiln dry the firewood. Get the core temperature up to the appropriate level. While it may not be illegal to move the firewood within the state lines, there are always risks... some of them we may not know about yet... http://afpda.org/certification-program/ http://afpda.org/certification-standards/
I believe your situation is different. You are taking trees from a place where they are plentiful to a place where there are very few (high plains if your locale is correct). Much lower chance of spreading a pest if the host trees are not there. Going from central Washington to a place that is very heavily forested gives much more chance that a host tree could be infested.... just my humble opinion.
Federal laws can also apply to movement WITHIN a state under certain circumstances as is the case with the emerald ash borer. eCFR — Code of Federal Regulations
I found termites eating my house It appears it's a newer colony and we have it "under control". But YIKES is so creepy, not worth it IMHO. Pest control company said there has NEVER been termites here till a couple years ago, and that they would be added to home sales inspection requirements soon. Husband is convinced they came off the logging trucks on the 2 highways near us (beetle kill pine).
The state does have a Do Not Move Firewood campaign but it doesn't seem to be much more than a campaign. There are prohibitions in the transportation industry regarding many wood products . https://www.dontmovefirewood.org/map/washington/
It's fairly easy to see of termites are infested in wood, at least here in PA. They use mud to create tunnels whenever they go into a wood, they are very sensitive to ambient air as they have a moist exoskeleton that cannot be exposed to air for long. So I always check the wood I cut for mud tunnels. I've seen some doosies over the years, I threw out half a trailer load of locust two years back because the bottom of the trunk was infested with them, it was a big tree too. It pained me to take that to the compost site.... . I know there are different species of termites, so I'd check to see what type are in your area and learn to identify them. If there are termites in the wood you're getting, I'd pass on it just to be safe.....
My point was never about whether something is illegal or not, common sense says it just should not be done. As an old boss on the railroad once explained to me: if you have to ask, you probably already know the answer. Maine Forest Rangers have put the number at within 50 miles and I think that is a pretty good distance. After 50 miles, I don't know...even if legal to do so, I don't think it should be done. I would be miffed if someone hauled a load of wood a long ways away just to save a buck, and it contaminated my woodlot.
Would pesticide be a consideration? Is it going to burned soon or stored? (A HOT topic in some circles from what I've read on another site) My understanding is firewood treated with pesticides are safe to burn approximately 90 days after treatment. (^^this coming from the licensed bug guy who used to live down the street^^)
A lot of good thoughts in here but this is a solid link. Thanks. Since I don't live in Graham or Bangor or I am not going across state lines, it's probably safe.
If the inside of a newly felled (not dead) tree is full of dirt tunnels does that mean termites or other bugs. We've got lots of termite problems in AR.
Probably just best to check with Dept. of Natural Resources first. Here in MN. You can move around just not from a quarantine county. I’m sure each state and or countyis a little different.
I agree totally with you on the if you have to ask part. I also would have to ask myself if I want to take a chance on bring back those little guys who do Billions per year in damages..
How far do they haul logs on the left coast to put them on ships to move them to China ? We have termites here. For at least two decades after removing huge pine trees from in front of the house termites would swarm from the remaining roots every Spring. Some birds would try to eat them as fast as they streamed out.
