Have you ever considered bringing firewood from one location to another, distant location? Whether your reason is to enjoy a quality hardwood that has a pleasant aroma and is not available locally, to get in on bargain firewood for your wood burning fireplace, or whatever the reason, it can actually have disastrous environmental effects. What many people don’t realize is that there are several significant environmental reasons to burn only local firewood.
An Ecological Threat
While it is not always obvious to the naked eye, trees are literally brimming with parasites and bugs native to the area where they are planted. Even though trees are chopped down and seasoned or dried out for purposes of clean burning, there are still living things in the logs. When firewood is transported to a non-local region, sometimes the result is catastrophic because the bugs and parasites in the logs are suddenly introduced to an ecological system that is completely vulnerable and defenseless against them. While the full effects may take place over a course of years, what often happens is that trees die off in alarming numbers because of the introduction of insects and parasites from another area.
Research has proven that pests and diseases such as the Goldspotted Oak Borer, Sudden Oak Death, and the Emerald Ash Borer have put entire ecological systems in danger because they were introduced to areas that have never built up a defense against them.
No matter how free of parasites and pests logs may appear to be, wood is always a potential risk if moved from the region in which it originated.
Much Worse than Native Diseases and Pests
Scientists have discovered that for possibly millions of years trees build up defenses against the harmful diseases and insects in their environment. When predators come along that no defenses have been built up against, those foreign insects and parasites grow and reproduce without hindrance. They reproduce and grow uncontrollably, and many trees die as a result.
The loss of trees is serious, and there can also be a significant economic impact. When ecosystems are destroyed by diseases and parasites that are not native to the area, the value of properties and homes plummets. It is very costly when forests are destroyed, and controlling the spread of ecological disease is costly.
What is Local Firewood?
A good guideline for local firewood is to stay within a radius of 10 miles or less. Fifty miles is definitely too far a distance to move firewood.
Some states have made it illegal to cross state lines with firewood from other regions, and the fines for breaking these laws are usually very costly. There are specific rules, quarantines, and regulations defining how far firewood can be moved, in some states.
Benefits of Burning Local Firewood
When you buy local firewood, you support local commerce and spend less for transportation of the logs.
The most economical heat supply that you can use is to cut down trees on your own property and replant. The most eco-friendly way to heat your home is by burning local firewood.
Of course, the best benefit to staying local with the firewood you burn is that you help to protect the forests.
If you have any concerns or questions about firewood or if you need an annual chimney cleaning and inspection, contact our chimney professionals today.
Chimney Solutions, Inc.
1155 McFarland 400 Drive, Alpharetta GA 30004
Office 770-255-1300
