Why You Shouldn’t Move Firewood Between Campgrounds

Thanks for your support! If you make a purchase using our links in this article, we may make a commission. And, as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See the full disclosure here.

If there is one firewood rule I think every RVer should follow, it is this:

Buy your firewood where you plan to burn it.

It is tempting to load leftover firewood into the RV and take it to the next campground. I have done enough camping over the years to understand why people do it. Firewood is expensive, and nobody likes leaving a perfectly good stack behind.

But moving firewood can also move insects, eggs, fungi, and plant diseases into an area where they did not exist before.

That is why Susan and I no longer haul leftover firewood from campground to campground. If we have wood left when we leave, we usually leave it at the campsite for the next camper to enjoy. I have also seen plenty of campground hosts collect leftover wood while cleaning sites.

Either option is better than loading it into the RV and carrying it hundreds of miles.

Why Is Moving Firewood a Problem?

The problem is not the firewood itself. It is what may be hiding in or on it.

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service warns that invasive pests can travel in firewood. The National Park Service says wood-boring insects, insect eggs, and microscopic fungi can all hitch a ride in firewood that looks completely normal.

Those pests may only move a short distance on their own. Put the same piece of wood in the back of a truck or an RV and suddenly they can travel hundreds of miles in a day.

That is the part I think campers sometimes miss. You do not have to see bugs crawling all over the wood for it to be a problem.

We Have Watched an Invasive Pest Spread Firsthand

The spotted lanternfly made this issue feel a lot more real to me.

We have camped around Hershey, Pennsylvania, for years. When we first started camping there in 2019, spotted lanternflies were not something I remember dealing with around the campground.

Over the next several years, that changed. They became a real nuisance.

Now we are seeing the same pest become much more common back home in Maryland.

The Maryland Department of Agriculture says spotted lanternfly was first detected in Maryland in 2018 and, by 2025, had been reported in 20 of Maryland’s 23 counties plus Baltimore City.

I am not saying campers moving firewood caused that spread. Spotted lanternflies can hitchhike on many things, including vehicles, outdoor equipment, trailers, and tree products.

But that is exactly the point. Invasive pests are incredibly good at catching a free ride.

Pennsylvania’s spotted lanternfly quarantine specifically lists firewood, logs, RVs, outdoor furniture, mobile fire pits, and other outdoor items as things that can potentially carry the insect or its eggs.

The Simplest Rule: Buy It Where You Burn It

The USDA’s current advice could not be much simpler: buy firewood where you burn it.

The National Park Service gives similar guidance and says getting firewood within about 10 miles of your destination is ideal. It generally considers 50 miles too far, although actual rules vary by location.

I would not overthink this.

When we arrive at a campground and want a wood fire, I look for firewood locally. Sometimes that means buying it from the campground. Other times I can find a nearby local seller.

Yes, campground firewood can be expensive. And sometimes it is not seasoned as well as I would like.

But I would rather pay a few extra dollars than haul untreated wood from one region to another.

If you want help choosing wood once you get there, we also put together a guide to the best types of wood for campfires. Oak is still my first choice when I can get it.

Can You Legally Move Firewood?

Sometimes yes. Sometimes no.

This is where the old version of this article was too broad. It said moving firewood is illegal in most states. That is not a good rule to rely on because firewood restrictions vary by state, county, park, quarantine zone, and sometimes by the type of wood.

Some areas prohibit untreated firewood from crossing state lines. Others limit how far firewood can be moved. Some campgrounds only allow certified heat-treated firewood. Others prohibit outside firewood completely.

So the legal answer is: check the rules for your destination before you load firewood into the RV.

The Don’t Move Firewood map is a useful starting point for state-by-state information, and the campground or park website should tell you its local rules.

What About Heat-Treated Firewood?

If you absolutely need to move firewood, certified heat-treated firewood is usually the better option.

USDA APHIS specifically recommends heat-treated firewood if you must move it because proper heat treatment can kill pests hiding in the wood.

But do not assume that “kiln dried” and “certified heat treated” automatically mean the same thing.

And even packaged wood may be subject to local restrictions, so I would still check the destination rules.

What Should You Do With Leftover Firewood?

This is easy.

Do not take it with you.

That is exactly what Susan and I do now.

If we have leftover firewood, we leave it at the campsite for the next camper when the campground allows that. We have also seen camp hosts pick it up while cleaning campsites, which is another good option.

The National Park Service actually recommends the same basic approach: leave leftover firewood at the campsite or with the camp host instead of taking it home.

If the campground does not allow you to leave it, ask the host or office what they want you to do with it.

Do Not Forget to Inspect Your RV and Camping Gear

Firewood is only one way invasive pests move around.

This became especially obvious to us around Hershey because spotted lanternflies can end up on vehicles, chairs, grills, awnings, outdoor rugs, fire pits, and other camping gear.

If you are camping in an area with a known invasive pest problem, take a few minutes before leaving to look over the RV, tow vehicle, bikes, outdoor furniture, and anything else that has been sitting outside.

The USDA also recommends cleaning outdoor gear before leaving an area because pests can hitch a ride on equipment and clothing.

Is a Propane Fire Pit a Good Alternative?

For us, yes.

When Susan and I were weekend warriors, we built a traditional wood fire almost every camping trip.

Now that we spend much more of the year in the RV, we use a propane fire pit most of the time.

It eliminates the firewood issue completely. We do not have to hunt for local wood, haul it around, deal with smoke, or wonder what to do with leftover logs.

I can also shut the fire off when we are ready for bed instead of waiting another hour for the last log to burn down.

Just remember that propane fire pits are not automatically allowed during every fire restriction. Always check local and campground rules first.

My Bottom Line

I do not think RVers need to memorize every firewood quarantine in the country.

There is a much easier rule:

Buy it where you burn it, and leave leftover firewood where you bought it.

That simple habit lowers the chance that we accidentally carry insects and diseases from one campground to another.

After watching spotted lanternflies go from something we barely noticed around Hershey to a major nuisance there—and now seeing them spread through Maryland—I think that small effort is worth it.

---

Related Reading

5 Best Types of Wood for Campfires (And What I Use)

16 Best RV Campsite Setup and Decorating Ideas

---