KY FY25 Firewood Outreach 5.0166.01

Firewood movement has proven to be a pathway for the movement of numerous invasive pests which are causing destruction 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 firewood. Spotted lanternfly is a pest of concern whose egg masses can be moved via firewood. It was found 4 miles from Kentucky’s border in Indiana in summer of 2021 and across the Ohio River in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2022. Unfortunately we found it in Gallatin County, Kentucky, near the Ohio River in October 2023. Farm Bill funding in FY16 allowed Kentucky to join the national expansion of the Firewood Scout program which is a database of approved firewood vendors, giving concerned citizens the tools they need to responsibly purchase local or certified heat-treated wood and curb the movement of forest pests.