Camping

==Insights==
===Campers Alerted to Firewood Infestation===
A load of infected firewood today could yield an insect infestation next spring capable of causing the girdling and death of vast numbers of branches and entire trees. The Department of Conservation & Natural Resources’ (DCNR) Bureau of Forestry is warning campers to leave behind any firewood you were considering hauling from home to the campsite.
Firewood should be bought or cut locally to prevent the spread of insects and diseases that can cause deforestation. The emerald ash borer beetle feeds off the tissue under the bark of the ash tree. The result in Michigan was the destruction of 10 million trees.
The slightly less than one inch long, thin and bright metallic green emerald ash borer beetle is just one of the pests capable of defoliation that has yet to appear in PA. The Asian long-horned beetle is another insect easily spread in firewood. Between the two, they are causing problems in the following states and Canadian provinces:
• Michigan
• Ohio
• Indiana
• Ontario, Canada
• Illinois
• New York
• New Jersey
• Toronto, Canada
Link to pictures of the emerald ash borer beetle and the Asian long-horned beetle http://www.nps.gov/acad/pdf/firewood.pdf and a multitude of related sites: http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/beetlesadvisory.aspx
While these firewood warnings are disseminated, Pennsylvania continues to combat both pests and diseases that threaten Penn’s Woods. Pennsylvania has witnessed the wrath of the forest tent caterpillar, the Hemlock woolly adelgid and the gypsy moth, to name a few. For more on the prevention and treatment of invasive species: http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/leaflets/fpmnews.htm and forest pest management: http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/fpm.aspx.
DCNR state park advisories are posted at: http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/index.aspx
If you are considering camping, Pennsylvania offers opportunities to set up a picnic in a meadow, hike over a mountain, getaway for a weekend or stay on for a vacation. Start planning your visit to one of Pennsylvania’s 117 state parks: http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/index.aspx
==Links==
* Wellness