ALBANY (AP) - Going camping this Memorial Day weekend? State officials want you to leave your firewood at home and buy some near your campsite.

That's because New York's forests are under siege from numerous
invasive insect pests - such as Asian long-horned beetles, Hemlock
wooly adelgids, and Pine shoot beetles. And now, the Emerald Ash
Borer is moving in from Michigan.

One of the easiest ways to spread these damaging invaders is to carry them in with a load of firewood. That allows them to hitchhike hundreds of miles, only to escape and infest new timber stands.

Some states have banned the importation of out-of-state firewood, and New York is considering doing the same.

Meanwhile, the Department of Environmental Conservation is asking people not to bring firewood with them on camping and picnicking trips.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)