Firewood from the states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec can not be brought into the national park.

Two kinds of destructive insects may be hiding in firewood campers bring from outside the park. Emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle are originally from Asia but have been accidentally introduced to North America.

Emerald ash borer has killed tens of millions of ash trees in North America since its discovery in 2002. Emerald ash borer is a non-native beetle that was discovered in the United States in the summer of 2002. The adult beetles eat ash foliage but cause little damage. The larvae (the immature stage) feed on the inner bark of ash trees, disrupting the tree's ability to transport water and nutrients. Emerald ash borer probably arrived in the United States on solid wood packing material carried in cargo ships or airplanes originating in its native Asia. More information about Emerald ash borer is available from the following links: US Forest Service and the national emerald ash borer website.

Asian longhorned beetle has been found in the Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York. Most Asian longhorned beetle infested trees have been in landscape settings so far. More information about Asian longhorned beetle is available from the US Forest Service website.

Both beetles lay eggs on trees and their young bore through trees as they grow. Infested trees must be cut, chipped and burned to prevent spread.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park has trees that can be infested with these beetles—an infestation would devastate the forests here. To prevent this from occurring, firewood should not be brought into the park from quarantined states. Firewood is available at most large campgrounds and many local stores, and park regulations allow for collection of dead, fallen wood for campfires.