The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is marking October as Firewood Month, urging residents to leave firewood at home to help stop the spread of destructive forest pests.

The Michigan Invasive Species Program is partnering with DontMoveFirewood.org to remind people not to transport firewood when traveling for leaf-peeping tours, hunting, fishing or trips to the cabin. Officials say untreated firewood can harbor pests and diseases that can infest and kill trees.

According to the DNR, firewood movement helped spread the emerald ash borer throughout Michigan, killing an estimated 40 million trees since 2002. The oak wilt fungus and the spotted lanternfly, now in the southern Lower Peninsula, can also move to new locations on infested firewood. Officials say even wood that looks clean can harbor insects, eggs or fungi spores.

Certification and quarantine

In 2026, the Michigan Invasive Species Program began a firewood certification program to boost the availability of certified, heat-treated wood. Producers can have their processes certified by the state, and certified firewood will bear a state seal equivalent to the one provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development's External Firewood Quarantine takes effect. After that date, it will no longer be permissible to bring untreated firewood into Michigan. Only heat-treated and certified firewood will be allowed to enter the state.

Safe firewood tips

  • Buy certified, heat-treated firewood with a government stamp or seal.
  • Collect or buy wood at your destination. Firewood should never be moved more than 10 miles from where it was cut unless it has been heat-treated.
  • Aged or seasoned wood is not safe to move. The DNR cites a study showing insects continued to emerge from firewood even three years after it was cut.
  • Don't bring leftover firewood home or to your next destination.

The DNR says more than half of the state is forested, with an estimated 14 billion trees. More information is available at Michigan.gov/DontMoveFirewood.