Note: from October 1, 2009 – February 28, 2010, visitors may still bring in firewood that has been cut from areas within 35 miles of the park’s boundary.

This ban will help keep exotic insects such as the Emerald Ash Borer out of Shenandoah National Park. The Emerald Ash Borer is responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of ash trees in the U.S. and is spread by the movement of infested firewood.

Wood for campfires must be gathered or purchased within the park.

Why can’t I bring my firewood into the park?
The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is a destructive invasive exotic beetle that feeds on ash trees. As of 2009, the EAB is responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of ash trees throughout the Midwest and in some eastern states.

Currently, the closest documented EAB infestation is in Fairfax County, Virginia, only 55 miles east of Shenandoah’s northern boundary. Foresters across the state are working to control the spread of this devastating insect through quarantines, bans, and public education.

The EAB is often spread by the movement of infested firewood. Over the last several years, EAB infested firewood has been found at campgrounds, hunting camps, NASCAR events, rest stops, and picnic areas throughout the Midwest and Eastern U.S. 

The park’s campgrounds and picnic areas are the most likely areas for EAB introduction into Shenandoah National Park. Because of the seriousness of a potential infestation, park managers are implementing a firewood ban effective March 1, 2010.

White ash trees, comprising approximately 4% of the park’s overall forest, are found in 16 forest communities that together cover 65% of the park’s acreage.  Given what is known about EAB infestations, an outbreak in Shenandoah National Park could lead to a total loss of white ash in the park and surrounding areas. Shenandoah’s managers want to avoid the same widespread devastation to the ash population that the woolly adelgid has wrought on the Eastern Hemlock.

What are the details of the ban?
In an effort to slow the spread of this destructive insect, Shenandoah National Park is implementing an Outside Firewood Ban effective March 1, 2010.  This regulation requires that visitors not bring any firewood (or wood scraps) into the park. Visitors may gather dead and down firewood in the park or purchase wood at Park Camp Stores. The park’s vendor’s sources have been approved. Additionally, as always, visitors are encouraged to use charcoal for their cooking fires.

The Emerald Ash Borer is responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of ash trees.

Why are we placing so much emphasis on preventing the EAB’s introduction?

An Outside Firewood Ban will help delay the arrival of EAB – perhaps as much as 10 years and help preserve an ecologically important tree species.

Slowing the spread of EAB will give researchers more time to discover an effective bio-control and refine treatment options.

Slowing the arrival of EAB will allow time for the park's forest to recover from the back-to-back impacts of the Gypsy Moth and Hemlock Woolly Adelgid.

The Mission of the National Park Service mandates that we protect natural resources and leave them unimpaired for future generations. We must take all reasonable actions to fulfill this mandate.

How did the EAB become such a problem?
Indigenous to Asia, the EAB was discovered in 2002 in southeastern Michigan. It has since spread to parts of Canada, Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. In 2008, the EAB was discovered in parts of Virginia, Missouri, and Wisconsin. In 2009, EAB was discovered in Minnesota and New York.

Recently, EAB was discovered in Fairfax, Virginia, very close to Shenandoah National Park. This nearby infestation is of great concern to Park Managers. Keeping this destructive beetle out of the park is especially important because there are no native predators of the EAB in North America and spread of the beetle is extremely difficult to control in natural settings.

What is being done in other areas?
Certain areas within Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin (all states where Emerald Ash Borer has been found) are currently under a federal firewood transport quarantine established by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), U.S. Department of Agriculture. It is felt that EAB may be resident in the wood and could be spread through firewood transport to un-infested areas like Shenandoah National Park.
 
A firewood quarantine has been established for the following localities in Virginia: counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, and Prince William; and the entire cities of Alexandria, Fairfax City, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park. It is unlawful to transport firewood from these localities. Firewood can harbor insect pests under the bark and in the wood. The transport of infested firewood has been identified as a leading cause in the introduction of harmful insect pests into un-infested forest areas.

For more information on the emerald ash borer, quarantine areas, and firewood movement restrictions, please visit: 
www.emeraldashborer.info/

www.na.fs.fed.us/fhp/eab/

www.dontmovefirewood.org