Firewood In Our City

Our office fields a number of calls throughout the year about the transportation and storage of firewood in the City of Fargo. Currently, as per City ordinance, there is only one type of wood prohibited within city limits, that being elm with bark intact. Elm wood is a known habitat for elm bark beetles and the fungus that causes Dutch Elm Disease (DED). Eliminating this type of habitat improves our efforts in the fight against DED. Once a year, usually in March, we send out inspectors looking for elm wood and ask that residents immediately burn the material, debark or place the material on the boulevard for our department to gather and destroy.

Additionally, we also ask that residents do not haul firewood in or out of the state. There is not an ordinance that prohibits this activity; however, we feel we should make known the risk that it poses to not only elm, but other species as well. Like many diseases and pests, the spread and distribution of these infestations are greatly enhanced by the movement of firewood. Movement of firewood greatly extends the "reach" that a pest would move naturally.