Use Local Firewood or Keep Untreated Wood Within 50 Miles

For a campfire, the easiest New York habit is also the forest-friendly one: get the wood near where you will burn it. DEC says untreated firewood may carry eggs, larvae, spores, or seeds of invasive species, and moving firewood is one common way pests spread.

That turns a trunk full of wood into more than a packing choice. New York’s firewood regulation keeps untreated firewood within 50 miles of its source or origin, and DEC warns that pest quarantines can be more restrictive than the 50-mile rule.

Save the receipt or source information, look for heat-treated wood when traveling farther, and check quarantine notices if you are near a regulated pest area. The campfire still gets to be simple. The story to remember is just this: a small piece of wood can move a forest problem farther than anyone meant to take it.

Firewood may need one office for Firewood and another for Invasive Species, depending on the address or record. The goal is to ask the right local question early. That can spare a second trip, a late fee, or a form sent to the wrong desk. Firewood Invasive Species is the practical clue to keep.