10/12/2026
October is Firewood Month! Be sure to check local rules and burn restrictions before lighting a campfire, and don’t bring along any unexpected guests on your next trip!
Invasive species like emerald ash borers, spongy moths, and invasive longhorned beetles can hide under the bark of firewood, and with your help they can hitch a ride to a new forest and establish an infestation.
Help protect the places you love this fall by practicing campfire safety and keeping firewood local! As a general rule, don’t move firewood more than 10 miles, and buy or gather (where permitted) firewood when you arrive at your destination. Only heat-treated wood certified as pest-free can be brought into the state. Learn more about how to protect Washington’s forests at https://invasivespecies.wa.gov/campaigns/buy-it-where-you-burn-it/
Photos courtesy of Art Wagner, USDA-APHIS, and Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bugwood.org
