When we think of a lit fire, we immediately imagine cozy evenings, stories told by ember light and the familiar warmth that embraces every corner of the room. Yet, behind that wood that crackles serenely, a silent and invisible threat could lurk: the invasive insects. Our small, unwanted friends can find refuge in firewood and, once transported, devastate entire local ecosystems.
The danger hidden under the bark
Selecting wood for the fireplace or for a bonfire is a simple gesture, apparently without implications, to be carried out mechanically whenever needed, and many of us simply purchase the bundles without worrying too much about their origin. On the contrary, behind an apparently harmless, routine gesture, a problem with devastating potential is hidden: the parasites mentioned above which, when transported from one area to another, can generate irreversible damage to forests, gardens and, in the most striking cases, compromising entire ecosystems.
A concrete example? The Asian beetle long-horned and Agrilus planipennis, true scourges for native plants, which have already caused the disappearance of species such as the American chestnut and the elm. Even seemingly safe seasoned wood may hide these invaders under the bark, where the larvae and fungal spores are well hidden.
Standards and awareness from around the world
In the United States, the National Parks Service has introduced a simple but effective rule: firewood should not be transported more than 50 miles from its origin. Many states have adopted laws that prohibit the transportation of untreated wood unless it is certified with a stamp that certifies heat treatment.
The reason? Always the same: invasive parasites, if transported to new areas, can take root easily, finding an environment free of natural enemies that limit their proliferation.
Expert advice
How can we prevent similar situations from happening? The “Don’t Move Firewood” campaign supported by The Nature Conservancy deals with the problem and suggests some practical tips to reduce the risks:
The costs of bad habits
The issue involves several economic aspects. Diseased or infested trees affect a property’s real estate value and represent a significant expense to remove. Furthermore, losing trees means compromising the local ecosystem, with negative impacts on biodiversity and air quality. If the environmental motivation may not be entirely convincing, the economic one should push even the most reluctant to pay attention to the problem.
A simple but impactful gesture
Carefully choosing the origin of the firewood is an action that does not require who knows what commitment, so there are no excuses: anyone can easily carry out a real act of responsibility towards the environment. In addition to protecting forests, such a conscious choice helps protect our personal space and that of future generations.
The next time you light a fire, don’t just think about the heat it will release, but also about the story that wood could bring with it. And if the story includes an army of parasites ready to colonize new horizons, perhaps it is time to choose better.
How and where to store wood
The problem of large-scale infestations, the central theme of the article, can also be traced in more modest territorial situations, which for this reason are unlikely to encounter non-native parasites coming from other states/countries/regions with different flora and fauna. In this case, prevention will concern both native parasites, those with which we must fight on a daily basis, and the risk of rot: firewood should be placed in sunny environments, partially raised above the ground, protected from atmospheric agents and stored at a certain distance from home, when possible.
