It’s hard to miss. The purple triangle in the tree sticks out among green vegetation.

Is it a kite? Is some kid crying because their toy is trapped in a tree?

No, this trapped object is actually a trap for emerald ash borers. These destructive pests infest ash trees and kill them within three years.

The emerald ash borer entered America by way of Michigan 15-20 years ago. And now they’ve made their way down to Tennessee. They’ve traveled so far because of the transportation of firewood from one state to another, or even from one side of a state to the other side of a state.

One of the best ways to prevent the spreading of these awful insects is by not transporting firewood.

If you’re going to go camping in the Ocoee River Basin in East Tennessee, then buy your firewood there. Don’t bring Murfreesboro firewood to Cleveland, TN.

Keeping firewood local will make more people happy campers, and help keep ash borers more contained.

For more information on the emerald ash borer in Tennessee, you can visit this website: http://www.tn.gov/agriculture/regulatory/eab.shtml. It includes helpful tips, including quarantine information.

Here’s a video about the life cycle of emerald ash borers:

This brings an entirely new market to shopping locally: Shop local for firewood. 🙂