Buy firewood locally to reduce spread of pest

The firewood season is here. Firewood can be purchased from individuals, dealers or retail stores, or many people cut their own firewood. However, a new pest to the northern Illinois area should encourage people using firewood to use local sources of the wood.

The Emerald Ash Borer has been found in several communities in northern Illinois over the past year.

The Illinois and U.S. Departments of Agriculture are working with communities and industry to try to control the spread. The Emerald Ash Borer only affects ash trees. Since the borers do not typically travel far on their own, reducing human transport of the pest can help slow the spread of the problem.

Areas identified with the Emerald Ash Borer are officially quarantined to restrict the movement of wood, wood products and the borer. The Illinois quarantine area includes the 18 northeastern-most counties of the state.

One of the most helpful things that individuals can do to help reduce the spread of the pest is to use local firewood. Don't bring in firewood, or other ash wood products, from infested areas or from a long distance. If camping in infested areas, leave unused firewood at that site. If buying ash firewood for the winter, be sure of its source.

When purchasing firewood, or other ash products, be a good observer. The borer lays eggs in the bark of the tree and when the borer hatches, it will tunnel under the bark and start feeding on the sapwood of the tree, leaving serpentine trails shallowly under the bark. Also, small D-shaped holes in the bark are also a clue, which are left by adult beetles leaving the sapwood. No other insect creates the BB-size D-shaped holes on ashes.

Evaluating wood or trees prior to cutting for these exit holes is important as it is one of the signs of infestation. Peeling back the bark may also give an indication of trails and borer larvae.

For more information on the borer, call a Master Gardener at University of Illinois Extension Kane County at (630) 584-6166 or go to web.extension.uiuc.edu/cook/blogs/eb104/index.html. The Illinois Department of Agriculture Web site for EAB control is www.agr.state.il.us/eab.

For additional information on firewood, comparative characteristics and purchase, go to the U. of I. Extension forestry Web site web.extension.uiuc.edu/forestry/timber_harvest/firewood.html.