Transporting Firewood across national and International borders

wizard1880 · November 2016

We use Firewood as a primary heating source at home, so I've almost always had it available to bring camping. Last year when we camped on Vancouver island, I bought kiln dried wood with us as they don't want any bugs etc to cross borders.

Long story short, customs confiscated it. All 6 bundles! They said only manufactured logs (I.e. compressed sawdust presto logs) were allowed.

I read on another thread someone was able to get store bought kiln dried wood into the US...!

Is this a one-way policy, or perhaps that particular customs agent we used was misinformed? Anyone else tried this?

pthomas745 · November 2016

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/plants/forestry/firewood/eng/1330963478693/1330963579986

db_cooper · November 2016

Washington State doesn't even want you to transport firewood within the state. We have a place on each side of the mountains, and don't move wood between them, even though we have a great supply at one place. The area has destructive beetles so we leave them on the east side.

http://www.invasivespecies.wa.gov/council_projects/firewood.shtml

Nomad · November 2016

Fir some reason I just can't my head around a FlameGenie - The concept is like a gas fireplace with fake logs to me.

wizard1880 · November 2016

When we camped at Golden Ears near Vancouver BC, several of the campers used propane fired campfires. If I didn't have a fire ring, I'd use my Volcano II, or my Wood Gas XL stove. At least they still burn real wood

. But that's just me. You won't find a natural gas fireplace in my house.

wizard1880 · November 2016

There are no restrictions to transporting Firewood between eastern and western Washington. I make trips to Wenatchee each year to bring over cherry and apple Firewood that sells for less than half the cost of alder in western WA. Several companies sell orchard scraps to Seattle.

Any recommended restrictions come from activist agendas. If there were a legitimate and credible threat, they would ban transport.

They do restrict any Firewood transport to Idaho or Oregon however.

Nomad · November 2016

I've been in many areas where you couldn't bring any wood into the camping area, you had to buy local wood - usually available at the host site or right outside the campground.

Nomad · November 2016

I associate fires with weekenders/vacationers. Tenters though are big on fires. Rarely see "travelers" or long-termers with fires.

Ratkity · November 2016

There are two different issues here. One is transporting between states or within a state. Kiln-dried wood may be ok for most of those areas (even those areas with green-emerald ashborer).

The transportation into the country is covered under importation laws and they are stricter. Wood pallets, wooden crates, etc are not allowed to be transported unless they are treated a certain way. Unfortunately, wood, soil and some of those pretty horticulture plants for your yard from other countries have caused plant disease outbreaks that have decimated entire food industries in the U.S.

I'm sorry your wood was confiscated at the border. It was probably premium dried firewood too!! :(

wizard1880 · November 2016

Apparently, I could get a "certificate" that shows the wood was heat-treated properly and inspected. But this is designed more for commercial transporting.

Thankfully we'd only paid 3 bucks a pack from our local Winco so we were only out 18 bucks.

My wife was more upset we had to toss our apples and grapes (she was pregnant at the time with twins), but we just laugh when we think about it now

. She was adamant our children would get the grapes so she quickly ate them while they processed our entry.

Ratkity · November 2016

LOL ah, the fruits and veggie confiscations. It's funny she ate the grapes so fast! Hope she didn't make herself sick.. lol.

Luckyj · June 2017

Yep, same here in canada. They ask you not to travel with fire wood, but 45 feet truck trailer move the wood from 1 corner of the province to the other, from logging site to saw mils. Same accross the Maine and Quebec border from logging site to saw mills.

so go figure.

i do understand the danger of contamination, but it seams to be more dangerous from little pack of wood than from open logging trucks traveling the roads.

PNWtabber · November 2020

@wizard1880 -- border agents on either side of the border have broad discretion as to what they can allow or disallow, unfortunately that makes it confusing for travelers. I just try to minimize anything that might raise a question. Once I was visiting a friend in BC and on the return trip, the US CBP agent confiscated my dog's food (which I originally bought in Washington) because it wasn't in the original packaging. BC has had horrendous problems with insect infestations that have decimated forests, leading to the horrific wildfires they've had in recent years. I can totally understand why they would be wary of firewood being imported.

ontheroad · November 2020

We don't transport any firewood in Ontario Canada either..just like I would never try to bring wood from our province to another province..if we decide to have a fire we buy locally. Even when we are in the United States...we don't transport firewood.

AirBoss · November 2020

Buy it where you burn it. Transporting can be detrimental to local forests.

Verna · November 2020

Little Red Campfire ;propane campfire) is so much easier. I just have to remember to have the 10 lb propane cylinder filled.

GatorEgg · November 2020

Not even country borders. Every state park (numerous) we have stayed in frown on campers bringing in their own wood. As a previous environmental invasive treatment manager it’s just a bad idea. We used to spend and make millions on the invasive creature and folklife battle.

AirBoss · November 2020

Verna said:

Little Red Campfire ;propane campfire) is so much easier. I just have to remember to have the 10 lb propane cylinder filled.

Yep! Love that little guy!

ontheroad · November 2020

@verna...another thing to carry JIC... I'll come visit your site but will bring our own chairs😀

Verna · November 2020

@ontheroad, being a seasoned solo camper, I always have at least two chairs out (to give the impression that I’m not solo), so you can just bring one👍 And since I’m a red wine gal, if you want what you bring for Allison, I have cups/stemless wine glasses to drink your choice of adult beverages.😂. Sunny Day and Guido stick to the bottled water😉

Did Allison ever get her elusive peach flavored?

ontheroad · November 2020

@verna....yes she did and we were stocked and ready to bring across the border but we all know what happened there...will bring more when we come stateside again, Frank has been nipping into the stock...lol...and yes our 1 litre NuCamp containers travel with us...thanks for that hint too..more wine can now be brought with us..see ya in 2021!

nhmike · November 2020

all these silly regulations are meant to protect the forests we all love. As AirBoss posted above "Buy it where you burn it. Transporting can be detrimental to local forests". I can't agree more. Do some capitalist campground owners take advantage of of the extra profit. Probably. But there's something to be said for the peace of mind knowing that I haven't spread a potential problem. The early morning fire, the after dinner communal fire are some of the best times of camping. I honestly don't remember how much I paid for the wood.

Mellow_Yellow · November 2020

Speaking from experience with BC (provincial) parks and Pacific Rim National Park, the firewood they sell at the campgrounds is usually terrible (fire proof). The best and cheapest camping firewood that is safe to transport anywhere in Canada is from Canadian Tire: seasoned, kiln dried birch.

ChanW · November 2020

Love Canadian tire!

rcarlson1957 · November 2020

To be honest, I just got tired of the whole, can I bring firewood or not? is there a burn ban or not? where can I buy it? can I forage for it at the campground (and say hello to a copperhead in the process)? So I finally just went out and bought a Little Red Campfire gas firepit and bring a 5 gal LP tank. Haven't really missed it since. Fast, simpel and convenient. I can always smell the wood burning from someone else's campfire close by.

Mellow_Yellow · November 2020

@rcarlson1957 - gas firepits are also great because they are allowed when conditions are too dry and there is a fire ban. It just feels odd to camp without any fire at all!

MischiefBrewing · December 2020

Up here in the Northeast US, state border firewood restrictions are clearly communicated, but I've seen very little enforcement beyond them asking a question and expecting honesty.

The only exception to the lax enforcement was Baxter State Park in Maine. They do a vehicle inspection (including trailer measurements) and don't allow ANY wood to enter the park, even if you just collected it from the clear-cut logging site just down the road...

ScottG · December 2020

Baxter is a unique place. Despite the name it is not a state park in the normal sense in that it has its own rules, administration, and governance. I've only tented there (and that was a while ago) but I am aware of the strictly enforced vehicle size restrictions.

Interesting about the wood, @MischiefBrewing. Friends we used to go there with would tow in a small utility trailer with two-weeks worth of firewood. If they were not allowing any in, were they at least selling (or otherwise providing) firewood in the campground?

ColoradoSun · December 2020

The further one transports firewood either internationally, interstate or even intrastate the greater the risk of also transporting destructive insects or disease from an infected area to an uninfected area.

MischiefBrewing · December 2020

ScottG said:

Baxter is a unique place. Despite the name it is not a state park in the normal sense in that it has its own rules, administration, and governance. I've only tented there (and that was a while ago) but I am aware of the strictly enforced vehicle size restrictions.

Interesting about the wood, @MischiefBrewing. Friends we used to go there with would tow in a small utility trailer with two-weeks worth of firewood. If they were not allowing any in, were they at least selling (or otherwise providing) firewood in the campground?

They were selling $3 bundles at the ranger station with a money drop box since the ranger is rarely there.

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