KY FY24 Firewood Outreach 5.0166.01

Firewood movement has proven to be a pathway for the movement of numerous invasive pests which are causing destruc on in the states they’ve invaded. In Kentucky, emerald ash borer is known to be widely distributed throughout the state and Asian longhorned beetle has been found in southern Ohio, approximately 10 miles from Kentucky’s border. Lymantrid moths are a threat since females can lay their egg masses on ?rewood. Spo ed lantern?y is a pest of concern whose egg masses can be moved via ?rewood. It was found 4 miles from Kentucky’s border in Indiana in summer of 2021 and across the Ohio River in Cincinna , Ohio in 2022. Farm Bill funding in FY16 allowed Kentucky to join the na onal expansion of the Firewood Scout program which is a database of approved ?rewood vendors, giving concerned ci zens the tools they need to responsibly purchase local or cer ?ed heat-treated wood and curb the movement of forest pests. This outreach project employs two strategies. First, personnel in our o?ce, University of Kentucky O?ce of the State Entomologist (UK OSE) are implemen ng the Firewood Scout program in Kentucky. Since receiving funding to join the program in 2016, con nuing through 2023, a member of our o?ce, Jennie Condra, has been serving as Kentucky’s Firewood Scout state contact. She is iden fying ?rewood vendors throughout Kentucky and enters them into the system to build Kentucky’s directory. The vendors are con nually updated upon request, from conduc ng online research, and from ?nding addi onal vendors while traveling throughout the state. The second strategy involves promo ng Firewood Scout and Don’t Move Firewood to the public. This promo on occurs at outreach events throughout the year, by adver sing the programs on our o?ce Facebook page, crea ng adver sements for local magazines and newspapers, and developing specialized promo onal items (s ckers, ?rst aid kits, tape measures, lip balm, ice scrapers, etc) to promote the programs. Continued funding for this project would allow us to continue participating in the Firewood Scout program and educating the public about this pathway. We will add more vendors to the national directory, review the vendors in the directory, and promote the programs to the public at outreach events. This will augment our broader outreach projects by focusing strictly on the ?rewood pathway by which invasive pests move and will give the public the tools they need to handle ?rewood responsibly.