Transporting firewood

[virgil]

I was telling a friend of mine that I was thinking about cutting some firewood upstate this spring and bringning it home to Long Island. He told me that it's illegal to transport firewood. Does anyone know if this is true?

[genesee_mohican]

It is true. You can't transport firewood more than 50 miles from where it was cut.

This is off the NYS DEC website:

If you transport firewood within New York State:

• It must have a receipt or label that has the firewood's source and it must remain within 50 miles of that source.
  
• For firewood not purchased (i.e. cut from your own property) you must have a Self-Issued Certificate of Origin (PDF, 14.5 kb), and it must be sourced within 50 miles of your destination.
  
• Only firewood labeled as meeting New York's heat treatment standards to kill pests (kiln-dried) may be transported into the state and further than 50 miles from the firewood's source. Acceptable firewood heat treatment must raise the core temperature of the firewood to 71 degrees C, or 160 degrees F, and hold it there for at least 75 minutes. Most "kiln-drying" processes that reduce the moisture content to less than 18% achieve this sterilization standard.
  
• For more information, please see the Frequently Asked Questions for Firewood Regulation. For additional questions regarding this regulation, please call this toll-free number: 1-866-640-0652 or e-mail: [email protected].
  

For more information see the DEC website below:

http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/44008.html

[Pygmy]

This is to help stop the spread of invasive insects, specifically the emerald ash borer beetle, which is killing off our ash trees. Many landowners are currently harvesting thier ash trees rather than take a chance of losing them to these insect pests.

There has been quite a lot of publicity about this in the last couple of years.

[virgil]

Makes sense. Thanks guys for the info.

[growalot]

Big fines involved if caught....