Firewood Scout in Kentucky

The Cooperator seeks to conduct a program which is expected to result in: • Increased public awareness of invasive pests in Kentucky and the dangers of firewood movement in the spread of those invasive pests. • Providing information to citizens so they know where to purchase local or certified heat-treated wood. • Development of a broader audience awareness of invasive pests and the risks posed by firewood. III) APPROACH Kentucky will join the national expansion of the Firewood Scout program. This program, details of which can be found at http://firewoodscout.org, was developed using USDA Forest Service funding and has been used in Michigan since 2012 under the support of the Southeast Michigan Resource Conservation and Development Council (SEMIRCD). The Nature Conservancy joined the partnership in 2014 with the goal of expanding the program and three additional states, California, Wisconsin, and Tennessee, implemented pilot programs. The Firewood Scout website is structured off of a Google map tool that reads firewood vendors from a database and is; therefore, much more cost effective than the development of a firewood vendor directory app for smartphones. Jennie Condra, from the University of Kentucky Office of the State Entomologist (UK OSE) will serve as the Firewood Scout state contact. She will cooperate with and communicate with various organizations in Kentucky who are dedicated to keeping invasive pests out of the state. These organizations may include the Kentucky Division of Forestry (KDF), The Nature Conservancy, Exotic Pest Plant Council, and Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission. As the state contact, Jennie will also correspond with SEMIRCD’s Firewood Scout coordinator and will perform the data input and maintenance for the Firewood Scout online database. Other UK OSE personnel such as the State Survey Coordinator, Dr. Janet Lensing, will also participate in this program. Jennie will initially identify at least 100 firewood vendors in Kentucky and enter them into the system to start Kentucky’s directory. She will update vendors upon request, or from additional research, throughout the year. There will be an annual review of all state vendors to remove closed vendors or make necessary changes. Jennie and other UK OSE personnel will promote Firewood Scout to the public at outreach events throughout the year, will advertise on the UK OSE Facebook page, and may develop specialized promotional items to advertise Firewood Scout.