Why You Shouldn't Bring Firewood From Home to Hocking Hills
It seems harmless: you have a stack of firewood at home, your cabin is two hours away, why not toss a few logs in the truck? The answer involves a metallic green beetle, a $4,000 fine, and the survival of entire tree species across southeastern Ohio.
The Emerald Ash Borer Problem
The emerald ash borer is a small, iridescent green beetle native to China and Korea. It was first detected in the United States in Michigan in 2002, and arrived in Ohio by 2003. In the two decades since, it has killed tens of millions of ash trees across the Midwest and is now confirmed in all 88 Ohio counties.
The damage is staggering. Approximately one in every ten trees in Ohio is an ash. The estimated economic impact to Ohio alone — including tree removal, replacement, and lost forest industry value — runs between $1.8 and $7.6 billion. Untreated ash trees that become infested typically die within three to five years, with a 99% mortality rate.
And the emerald ash borer isn't the only threat. Ohio's forests are also contending with the spongy moth (formerly gypsy moth), which has been found in 51 of Ohio's 88 counties, the Asian longhorned beetle in the Clermont County area, and the spotted lanternfly, which is spreading northward. The Hocking Hills region specifically faces an additional threat from the hemlock woolly adelgid, a tiny insect attacking the eastern hemlocks that define the scenery at places like Cantwell Cliffs.
How Firewood Spreads Pests
Most invasive forest insects can only travel a few miles per year on their own. But when their eggs, larvae, or adults are hiding in the bark of a piece of firewood, they can travel hundreds of miles in the bed of a pickup truck. A single piece of infested wood dropped at a campsite can establish a new population that takes years to detect and decades to contain.
The emerald ash borer's spread across Ohio has been directly traced to the movement of firewood and untreated wood products. Many of the early infestations outside the original quarantine zone appeared at campgrounds and parks — exactly where people bring firewood from home.
The Rules
State restrictions: Firewood transport is restricted out of areas infested with spongy moth (51 counties), Asian longhorned beetle (Clermont County), and spotted lanternfly zones.
State Parks & campgrounds: Ohio State Parks, Jellystone Park Hocking Hills, Pine Creek Resort, Happy Hills Campground, and virtually every private campground in the region prohibit outside firewood.
Fines: Violating Ohio's quarantine regulations can result in fines up to $4,000.
The only firewood generally considered safe to transport is commercially packaged, heat-treated wood bearing a USDA APHIS compliance seal. Heat treatment at specific temperatures for specific durations kills any pests hiding in the wood. But even with certified wood, many campgrounds prefer you purchase locally to eliminate any ambiguity.
What "Buy Local" Actually Means
The Don't Move Firewood organization recommends buying firewood within 10 miles of where you'll burn it. In practice, this means purchasing from your cabin host, a roadside vendor near your rental, or a local delivery service once you arrive in the Hocking Hills area.
The economics work in your favor too. Local firewood in Hocking Hills typically costs $5 to $8 per bundle — less than what you'd pay for shrink-wrapped gas station wood at home. And you're supporting a local business instead of subsidizing your gas mileage.
The bottom line: leave your home firewood at home. The forest you're driving into has survived for millions of years on 340-million-year-old Black Hand sandstone. A small beetle hitchhiking in your trunk could cause more damage in a decade than anything geology has thrown at it.