California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Amador-El Dorado Unit CONTACT: Teri Mizuhara, Fire Prevention Specialist II, 530.708.2724
Camino - Firewood can transport insects and/or disease that are often times not visible to people which means you can end up spreading pests (insects) and diseases that can devastate our local forests if you buy and move firewood from outside our county into our county. CAL FIRE and the CA Firewood Task Force are asking the general public to buy only locally cut firewood where they plan to burn it. Furthermore, if you plan on camping and travelling outside the area, get your firewood from the area you are going too, do not transport wood from your backyard as you may be spreading diseases and pests and leave unburned firewood where you bought it. Examples of insects and diseases that can affect the forests in our area are: 
The Goldspotted Oak Borer (an invasive beetle in San Diego
County likely brought into the state on firewood) has killed tens of thousands of oak trees all over San Diego County since 2004 when it was first found.
Sudden Oak Death is a disease found on the CA coast and as
far east as Solano County and has killed tanoaks and oaks from British Columbia to California.
Pine Pitch Canker is a disease affecting pine trees (Grey
Pines and Douglas Fir and threatening commercial species such as Sugar Pine and Ponderosa Pine) and has been found along most of the California coast
encompassing over 23 million acres."By taking simple steps to prevent the spread of insects and disease living in your firewood, you can keep our forests healthy and productive. Anyone of these diseases can potentially devastate our forests leaving behind acres of dead and dying trees primed for wildfires, not to mention the adverse economic ramifications" cautions Unit Chief Kelly Keenan of the Amador-El Dorado Unit of CAL FIRE "so please buy your firewood where you plan on burning it" adds Chief Keenan. For more on the Buy It Where You Burn It, please visit www.firewood.ca.gov. -END-
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