NASF members passed Resolution 2017-2 at their Annual Meeting in Charleston, WV, this past week. Resolution 2017-2 urges the national firewood packaging industry to continue to pursue a “clean” voluntary firewood certification program which includes federal recognition and an easily recognizable educational consumer label. As experience shows, even with federal inspection processes in place for past international and interstate commerce of wildlife and plant life, pests find their way into products either locally moved or internationally transported.
A robust voluntary packaged firewood certification system has the potential to conserve money, and protect our forests. With a growing concern for our forests’ health, NASF and its members passed this resolution to ensure the health and safety of our forests from introduced pests.
NASF believes that creating a national certification program for commercial firewood would help prevent spread of forest pests that linger or hide in the wood. Such a certification program for packaged firewood can help to ensure gaining necessary confidence of state and federal regulatory agencies as well as consumers, and meets the needs of both the firewood industry and the health of the forests.
https://www.stateforesters.org/sites/default/files/publication-documents/2017-2%20Packaged%20Firewood.pdf