Hunting season is here, and the Van Buren County Conservation District is reminding both hunters and campers what they can do to help reduce the spread of invasive species. CISMA expert Eleanor Serocki tells WSJM News a simple tip is to be careful with your firewood.
“We advise people to never move firewood more than five or ten miles, and that’s just because things like emerald ash borer, which has really hurt our ash resource in Michigan, can sneak along in those logs,” Serocki said. “Unfortunately, even after the tree is dead, if it’s harvested those bugs or fungus like oak wilt can still be in there.”
Serocki says by leaving the wood at home and picking it up at your destination, you can stop the invaders from spreading even farther. Anyone looking for more information should call the Van Buren Conservation District. You can also find a list of sites were firewood is available at FirewoodScout.org. You can learn more about Michigan invasive species right here.
