PAW PAW, Mich. — Even as fall approaches and the nights cool, Michiganders still love a good bonfire. But forest pests and disease can hitch a ride on firewood, killing trees and wiping out habitat. Pests like Emerald Ash Borer and Oak Wilt can sneak from place to place with campers or hunters, but stopping their spread is easy, and something that the SWxSW Corner CISMA encourages us all to keep in mind this fall.
The SWxSW Corner Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas (CISMA), a grant funded program assisting with invasive species problem in Southwest Michigan, is encouraging everyone to buy wood where it’s going to be burned. “Most of these bad bugs or diseases can’t get more than 5 miles on their own, but most of us will go further than that for a weekend vacation,” Says Eleanor Serocki, Coordinator of the program. “By leaving the wood at home and picking it up when we get to the destination, we can stop them from spreading even further.”
Oak Wilt, a fungus that grows in oak trees, has been occurring more and more in Southwest Michigan with devastating consequences. Mostly moved by beetles, the fungus fills the water moving tissues in a tree, choking it off and killing it in under a year. “A mature red oak can get oak wilt in the spring and be dead by winter” Serocki states. Even after the tree dies, it can still spread oak wilt if the wood is accidentally carried to a campground, hunting camp, or friend’s house for a fire.
Though Michigan has more than its fair share of invasive species, it’s still battling to keep some out, or to keep some contained. Spotted Lanternfly, which was just added to Michigan’s Invasive Species Watch List, can destroy grape and blueberry crops, but also lays eggs on firewood and in trees, meaning it could easily be introduced by a careless out of state camper. Hemlock woolly adelgid is only found in a handful of counties in Michigan but could be carried to the massive hemlock forests of the UP with one trip to deer camp. “It’s all about making informed choices. No one wants to hurt our forests, they just don’t know how big a difference they can make” Serocki finishes.
The best suggestion? Burn wood where you buy it. Experts suggest moving firewood no more than five or ten miles from where it will be burned. Campers can also use heat treated firewood, which can be moved without fear. If firewood has already been brought in, burn it to ash as soon as possible, since this will lower the chance that creepy crawlers can get out.
Looking for more information on Oak Wilt, the CISMA, or managing forests? Check out and RSVP to these upcoming events!
10/10/2018:
Free Presentation: Protect Your Oak Trees from Oak Wilt Disease
Berrien County Conservation District and ReLeaf Michigan
Niles, MI
Contact: Nancy Carpenter, Berrien County CD, 269-471-9111×3
11/3/2018:
Forestry Management Workshop
Cass County Conservation District
TBD
Contact: Korie Blyveis, Cass County CD, 269-445-8641×5
— Van Buren Conservation District
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