Which pests are commonly spread by firewood movement?

Which pests are commonly spread by firewood movement?

• A. Oak wilt by beetles and root grafts
• B. Gypsy moth
• C. Emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle
• D. Pine beetle

Answer: (C)

Moving firewood often carries pests that spend long stages of their life inside wood. Emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle are classic examples of insects that ride with firewood and establish new outbreaks when that wood is moved to a different area. Both pests infest hardwoods by laying eggs in bark or entering through wounds, and the larvae tunnel through the wood for years. Transporting infested firewood can thus introduce these beetles to healthy forests far from their original location, which is why firewood movement is tightly controlled around infested regions. Oak wilt, by contrast, spreads mainly through sap beetles feeding on diseased trees and through root grafts between oaks, not primarily via firewood. Pine beetles are not as commonly linked to long-distance spread by moving firewood as these two wood-boring pests are.

Moving firewood often carries pests that spend long stages of their life inside wood. Emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle are classic examples of insects that ride with firewood and establish new outbreaks when that wood is moved to a different area. Both pests infest hardwoods by laying eggs in bark or entering through wounds, and the larvae tunnel through the wood for years. Transporting infested firewood can thus introduce these beetles to healthy forests far from their original location, which is why firewood movement is tightly controlled around infested regions.

Oak wilt, by contrast, spreads mainly through sap beetles feeding on diseased trees and through root grafts between oaks, not primarily via firewood. Pine beetles are not as commonly linked to long-distance spread by moving firewood as these two wood-boring pests are.