Imported firewood?

[Andrew Seemann]

It might be that it is heat treated, and there could be some economics that make it importing it from the Baltics work. Maybe it is waste from lumbering and shipping could be cheaper than expected.

Across the country, there are a lot of regulations and restrictions at both state and federal level on moving non-heat-treated firewood. It looks like emerald ash bore, oak wilt, thousand cankers disease, and dutch elm are some of the main reasons for quarantines along with various local pests. Most of the firewood I see at the gas station, grocery store, etc is heat treated and comes from one of a few local "firewood factories" around here. It could be that it is easier at the distribution level in some places to just buy it in quantity from a wholesaler rather than try to find a local source, kind of like the 2x4s at the lumber yard come from the Pacific Northwest --more than a thousand miles from here-- even though we have lots of trees in MN that could be used.

And before anyone goes all "Nanny State! Nanny State!" these are plagues of trees, and states (and the feds) are trying to protect the economic assets of the forests the best they can. As woodworkers, we should support trying to protect our primary raw material. I'm not saying we should go buy imported firewood, especially if there is locally-sourced, legal firewood wood available.

Below is a link to a map giving the restrictions by state. Pretty much every state I clicked on had some kind of law on firewood movement.

https://www.dontmovefirewood.org/map/

[Eric Danstrom]

Across the country, there are a lot of regulations and restrictions at both state and federal level on moving non-heat-treated firewood. It looks like emerald ash bore, oak wilt, thousand cankers disease, and dutch elm are some of the main reasons for quarantines along with various local pests.

Yep, when I moved out here from the midwest the local urban woke crowd didn't know about this. They started loading firewood into my truck. I stopped them and explained about not moving firewood more than 30 miles. I promised them there'd be firewood for sale by the folks near the National Forest, get yer dollar bills ready. Sure enough about five miles from the camp ground there was bundled wood and a jar for the bills on the roadside by a driveway.

[Bert Kemp]

I don't really know but it wasn't local firewood, all the wood was redish in color nothing like that locally

Oh all my own wood I personally heat treated in my Big Moe all nigher Wood-stove

[Malcolm McLeod]

... these are plagues of trees, and states (and the feds) are trying to protect the economic assets of the forests the best they can. As woodworkers, we should support trying to protect our primary raw material. ...

^+1
Our modern mobility is a double-edged sword. Giggle up "zebra mussels" when you're bored; forget kilns, they're spread by folks too lazy to drain their boat.

...Anybody up for a quick trip too China?

[Wade Lippman]

Many have white birch in their fireplaces in the off season for decoration. Other than that, I can't imagine.

Absolute best firewood is black locust. Not much to look at, but burns like coal.

[mike stenson]

Many have white birch in their fireplaces in the off season for decoration. Other than that, I can't imagine.

Absolute best firewood is black locust. Not much to look at, but burns like coal.

I prefer mesquite, pretty similar in that regard, but multitasks in my grill and grows locally Pecan is another one I like for the same reasons. I'm not sure why we're shipping firewood across the world and back.

[Jim Koepke]

I prefer mesquite, pretty similar in that regard, but multitasks in my grill and grows locally Pecan is another one I like for the same reasons. I'm not sure why we're shipping firewood across the world and back.

One of the things missed about moving from California is the availability of mesquite for the BBQ.

The reason "we're shipping firewood across the world and back" is because it makes money. It doesn't need to make sense. If it makes money the corporations involved only care about how much money it can make.

jtk

[Bill Dufour]

From time to time the USDA? bans moving firewood across county lines. They are trying to contain bugs. California still does some fruit quarantines at the borders for the same reason.
Bil lD

[Andrew Seemann]

From time to time the USDA? bans moving firewood across county lines. They are trying to contain bugs. California still does some fruit quarantines at the borders for the same reason.
Bil lD

My parents talk about driving into California around the late 60s/early 70s and everyone being stopped at the California border and everyone's car getting searched for banned fruit entering the state. They said it was more thorough than going through customs.

[mike stenson]

My parents talk about driving into California around the late 60s/early 70s and everyone being stopped at the California border and everyone's car getting searched for banned fruit entering the state. They said it was more thorough than going through customs.

It was that way until after 2001

[Dan Jansen]

Birch is often sold as firewood, but I can't imagine it is worth shipping from Estonia. Could it be a species of birch named for Estonia, but grown locally? Sort of like Baltic birch plywood?

I wonder if we are shipping items to Estonia and the shipping containers would come back empty otherwise. In other words, shipping is probably free to almost free and the labor rate is significantly lower. It must be enough that it works economically for them.

[Jim Koepke]

My parents talk about driving into California around the late 60s/early 70s and everyone being stopped at the California border and everyone's car getting searched for banned fruit entering the state. They said it was more thorough than going through customs.

In the 70s there was with Mediterranean Fruit Flies. There were even check points inside the state for travelers into some agricultural counties.

My last time driving into California was about 7 years ago. My recollection is they still had check points at the border even though they are not in operation during some parts of the year.

jtk

[Brian Elfert]

It was that way until after 2001

The checkpoints still exist today. I was really worried about an open trailer with a working chest freezer full of food (no fruits or vegetables) attracting attention. I don't recall stopping at the inspection check point to be a big deal.

[mike stenson]

The checkpoints still exist today. I was really worried about an open trailer with a working chest freezer full of food (no fruits or vegetables) attracting attention. I don't recall stopping at the inspection check point to be a big deal.

They're still there, not often open and even that it depends on the road. The AZ border on 8 is a border patrol checkpoint most of the time, the last few times I drove through them and the one on 10 isn't open nearly as often. The only time it was a pain was going from Truckee to Vegas and taking the back roads, but that was probably '97 and that was mostly having the same conversation over and over again.