Midwest visitors asked not to bring firewood to Smoky Mountains

Midwesterners coming to visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are being asked to leave firewood at home. The emerald ash borer, a small beetle from Asia, has infested trees in Michigan and spread into Indiana and Ohio. Rangers at the Cades Cove campground in the Smokies are checking ZIP codes and license plates to intercept firewood brought in from contaminated areas. At least a half-dozen campers have brought in firewood from areas where the pests have been discovered. Park officials also have notified stores and campgrounds surrounding the park of the threat posed by the emerald ash borer So far the bright green beetle has killed more than 6 million ash trees in Michigan alone. The ash borer is blamed for the loss of nearly 20 million trees in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Ontario since it first was found near Detroit in 2002.