Bethany Abrahamson: 👻BOO-ware of these Scary Pests in Your Firewood

Featured Photo credit: William M. Ciesla, Forest Health Management International, Bugwood.org

Avoid bringing something scary home with you this fall and winter:
pinon Ips (Ips confusus) – one of the many wood-boring beetles that can be transported in firewood

For many of us, when temperatures drop it’s time to shop for firewood. However, many wood-boring pests can be transported in firewood, endangering the beloved trees in our yards and landscapes. This can include native species, like bark and longhorned beetles, or even exotic invasives like the infamous emerald ash borer. There is nothing more spooky in my mind than what EAB has done to the U.S. landscape, killing hundreds of millions of ash trees since it was first introduced.

A recent review from Wright University suggests that emerald ash borer may also be able to complete its life
cycle in olive trees under certain conditions.

The damaging effects of native bark beetles (including Ips beetles, Dendronoctus ponderosae, and others) can also be scary. Beetles like these may spend the winter as adults or larvae, depending on the species, and are more likely to infest trees that are stressed due to lack of water, a more common problem as drought conditions continue.

Wildfire can also exacerbate bark beetle problems. Be sure that you source firewood locally to avoid spreading a nasty infestation to your landscape. You can also protect your trees from bark beetles by providing supplemental water and pruning during the winter to avoid attracting beetles to tree wounds. Cut firewood should be kept in a different area from your trees. If you have infested wood, be sure to burn it, bury it, or chip it.

Check out this publication from NMSU for more info on how to deal with these and other chilling tree pests! https://pubs.nmsu.edu/_h/H174/index.html#4