Be sure you check the source of firewood before you buy it. That's the message from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which is warning Virginians about firewood that originates from quarantined, pest-infested areas of the state.

This firewood could contain destructive pests such as the Emerald Ash Borer, the Asian long horned beetle or gypsy moths. If the pest-infested wood is not burned this winter, the pests will most likely reproduce in the spring and spread their destruction to a new location in the state.

Todd P. Haymore, VDACS Commissioner, says, “During this cold winter, a lot of people are burning wood in fireplaces and wood stoves to supplement their regular home heating systems. If you are among them, VDACS’ Office of Plant and Pest Services advises you to be sure your firewood comes from a local source or from an area that is free of invasive pests.”

Several areas of the state are known to be infested with the Emerald Ash Borer. In 2008, the Virginia Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services approved a permanent Emerald Ash Borer quarantine for the Counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun and Prince William and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax City, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park.

Although regulated articles including ash trees, non-heat treated ash lumber and ash wood products, as well as hardwood firewood, may be moved freely within the quarantined areas, the quarantine restricts their movement to non-quarantined localities because they pose a significant risk of transporting EAB.

Gypsy moth egg cases are easy to spot on firewood because they look like pieces of chamois cloth stuck to the bark. The cases can be scraped off into an airtight container and thrown in the trash.

However, Emerald Ash Borers are more difficult to spot. They live most of their lives inside a tree, and leave holes in the wood only when they emerge to breed. By the time someone notices their presence, they would have spread to a new area.

For additional information about invasive pests and firewood, click on the link below or call the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Office of Plant and Pest Services at 804-786-3515.