Photo: National Park Service
The "Don't Move Firewood" campaign is a joint effort by many environmental and outdoor groups to remind everyone of the importance of not moving firewood.
With fall and campfire season fast approaching, your effort is needed to stop the spread of invasive species. Everyone is encouraged to use firewood that is harvested within less than a fifty mile radius from where you will burn it.
- This month (August 2009) is Asian Longhorned Beetle Awareness Month.
The destruction rendered by these invasive species include:
- 100,000,000 elms killed by Dutch elm disease
- 20,000,000 ash trees killed by the emerald ash borer
- 30,000 hardwood killed by the Asian long horned beetle
These represent just a few of the hundreds of threats to our environment. Of particular concern to New Jersey is the hemlock woolly adelgid which has invaded the entire state.
It is doubtful as a group, backpackers contribute greatly to the problem when in the wilderness. How much wood are you going to pack today? But you are passionate about the wilderness. Spreading the word to those who are uneducated in wilderness conservation will make a difference. Just tell everyone, "Buy it where you burn it". This includes those who burn it in their home fireplaces.
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