In a bid to stop the spread of a beetle that could devastate Shenandoah National Park's ash trees, park officials are instituting a ban against firewood brought into the park by campers.

So far, according to Shenandoah officials, the nearest the Emerald Ash Borer has been spotted to the park is 55 miles east of the park's northern boundary. With hopes the beetle doesn't make it into the park via infested firewood, Shenandoah officials will ban out-of-park firewood beginning March 1.

Park officials say the Emerald Ash Borer is a destructive invasive exotic beetle that feeds on ash trees. As of 2009, the EAB is responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of ash trees throughout the Midwest and in some Eastern states, they add. In Virginia, foresters are working to control the spread of this devastating insect through quarantines, bans, and public education.

The EAB is often spread by the movement of infested firewood. Over the last several years, EAB infested firewood has been found at campgrounds, hunting camps, NASCAR events, rest stops, and picnic areas throughout the Midwest and Eastern U.S. The park’s campgrounds and picnic areas are the most likely areas for EAB introduction into Shenandoah National Park. Because of
the seriousness of a potential infestation, park managers are implementing the firewood ban effective March 1, 2010. The regulation will require that visitors not bring any firewood (or wood scraps) into the park. Visitors may gather dead and downed firewood in the park or purchase wood at Park Camp Stores. The park’s vendor’s sources have been approved and are being monitored for EAB. Additionally, visitors are encouraged to use charcoal for cooking fires.

White ash trees, comprising approximately 4% of the park’s overall forest, are found in 16 forest communities that together cover 65% of the park’s acreage. Given what is known about EAB infestations, an outbreak in Shenandoah National Park could lead to a total loss of white ash in the park and surrounding areas. Shenandoah’s managers want to avoid the same widespread devastation to the ash population that the woolly adelgid has wrought on the Eastern Hemlock.