Workshop To Address Tennessee's Growing Need For Firewood Producers

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

An alliance of state, federal and non-governmental partners announced a second in a series of public opportunities for learning about how to develop a business to heat-treat firewood in kilns to fill increasing demand at State Parks across Tennessee.

On Friday, Aug. 12, a free workshop will be held at the University of Tennessee Extension Center in Murfreesboro to provide more information on new regulations for firewood in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Tennessee State Parks, on the insect pests that prompted these regulations, and the new business opportunities that have sprung up to meet public demand.

On June 1, Tennessee State Parks instituted new firewood regulations that restrict firewood use to either downed wood in the parks or certified heat-treated firewood.

The reason? Tree-killing insects and diseases are becoming an increasing problem in Tennessee and all over the United States. These insects and diseases can't move far on their own, but when people move firewood they can jump hundreds of miles. New infestations destroy forests, reduce property values, and cost huge sums of money to control. For example, Emerald Ash Borer, a beetle native to Asia, has been killing Ash trees in Tennessee since 2010. According to the USDA Forest Service and the Tennessee Division of Forestry, an estimated 271 million ash trees in Tennessee, amounting to $11 billion value, could potentially become infested with the Emerald Ash Borer.

“Although Emerald Ash Borer is now widely spread throughout Tennessee, we still have the opportunity to slow or stop the spread of other invasive tree pests that are on the horizon,” said Heather Slayton, Forest Health and Sustainability Unit leader with Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Division of Forestry TN. “Asian Longhorned Beetle, for example, kills maple trees in three-five years and can also kill many other types of trees. The impact of this insect, as well as many others, is something that we are working hard to control. Preventing the transportation of firewood is a major way in which we and citizens can help in protecting our trees and economy. That’s why we want to provide resources to increase the production of local, certified heat-treated firewood and help people learn about this new business opportunity.”

Heat treatment kills insects by heating firewood to a certain core temperature and for a certain amount of time. Heat treatment takes place in a kiln which can control the temperature and the amount of time that heat is applied depending on what type of pest insect you are trying to kill. There are federal regulations restricting movement of firewood using quarantines. Kiln operators who follow heat-treatment guidelines for those quarantines can receive a federal stamp of approval certifying their firewood can legally be moved out of their county. Without the heat-treatment and seal of certification, it is illegal to move this wood.

“The new firewood rule in Tennessee State Parks builds on the firewood policy that was passed in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2015,” said Trish Johnson, Director of Forest Conservation for The Nature Conservancy in Tennessee. “As public agencies are continuing to move towards protection of forests through firewood policies, more citizens will become aware and will need to have sources of safer firewood. This is creating new opportunities for local entrepreneurs to help our forests and gain a new source of income through getting certification to heat-treat firewood in kilns and build their own firewood business.”

The workshop is open to anyone interested and will be held on Aug. 12, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. CST at University of Tennessee’s Extension Center Murfreesboro Campus. During the workshop, the group will:

•    learn about the pests that travel in firewood
•    learn about the risk to our forests and trees,
•    learn about federal and state regulations as well as campground rules for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Tennessee State Parks,
•    have hands-on opportunity to prepare firewood and use the tools to measure the wood for moisture content,
•    listen to success stories from people who have built their own businesses and learn about other firewood activities going on in and around Tennessee.

Staff from Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Division of Forestry (TDF), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and The University of Tennessee (UT) as well as experts on kilns and new firewood kiln business owners are involved with the workshop. This is the second of a series of workshops that will be held state-wide. The workshop will qualify attendees for pesticide points and Continuing Forestry Education (CFE) points.

Space is limited to 35 attendees. Register for the workshop by Aug. 9, by contacting Katie Pareigis with The Nature Conservancy: 615-383-9909 or kpareigis@tnc.org.

Lunch will be provided to attendees. Directions to workshop location will be provided at registration.

For information about Tennessee’s forest pests: protecttnforests.org.
For more information about risks associated with movement of firewood: dontmovefirewood.org
For more information about where to find local or certified heat-treated firewood: firewoodscout.org