RICE LAKE, Wis. (WJMC) — Properly heat-treated firewood keeps invasive insects and plant pests from traveling with it when transported.
But how do we locate it?
If you’re in need of firewood for your fireplace or wood burning stove, to counter what has been an extremely cold winter at times this season, Kathryn Bronsky, with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, reminds you to buy firewood where you burn it, to avoid accidental transport of invasive plant pests and diseases.
“Make sure that you are purchasing certified heat-treated firewood, to kill any pests that may have been in it or on it,” Bronsky said. “Properly heat treated-firewood will feature a USDA APHIS heat treatment seal, or a state department of agriculture heat treatment seal, indicating that it is safe to move.”
Specific quarantine information on plant pests, including firewood movement restrictions are available online at www.aphis.usda.gov