Moving firewood in Georgia: the repealed emerald ash borer quarantine and what the state asks instead

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. Georgia's forest agency and its agriculture department each publish pest pages. Neither page read for this guide sets out a state order that stops firewood moving between counties. What they do publish is a repealed quarantine and a request to leave firewood at home.

The emerald ash borer quarantine and its repeal

The Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) emerald ash borer page says the Georgia quarantine for the beetle was expanded to the entire state in December 2017. It then gives the repeal in steps:

On March 1, 2021, the GFC proposed repeal of Chapter 224-3, "Emerald Ash Borer Quarantine", in its entirety.
After a comment period, the GFC Board approved the repeal on May 19.
On May 26, 2021, the Georgia Secretary of State's office approved the final repeal.
The repeal and the removal of the statewide quarantine took effect June 15, 2021.

The page ties this to the federal change: the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service published a final rule on December 15, 2020, effective January 14, 2021, that removed the federal domestic quarantine regulations, and the program moved from regulation to management of the pest, including biological control. The page says the beetle was found in 53 Georgia counties after the 2023 trapping season, with Towns, Haralson, Bibb, Greene and Oglethorpe added that year.

The state's own rules register confirms the repeal. Its Chapter 224-3 page shows the chapter title as repealed, with every one of its rules, from 224-3-.01 to 224-3-.14, and Appendix 224-3-.14A, marked repealed.

What the Forestry Commission says about firewood

The GFC forest health page has a section headed Moving Firewood. It says "Do not transport firewood". It says moving firewood between counties or states is a risk because invasive pests hitch a ride on the wood, and that pests which cannot move far alone can travel hundreds of miles when people move firewood, logs, chips and mulch. It says many hardwood and pine species are possible hosts.

For campers, the page asks visitors to Georgia to leave firewood at home and buy local wood, and says all Georgia State Parks have firewood for sale. It says wood brought into camp by mistake should be burned on site straight away or handed to park officials. The page links the Don't Move Firewood brochure, poster and campaign site as resources.

The same page says the Asian longhorned beetle is not found in Georgia but has been found in neighboring South Carolina. The Georgia Department of Agriculture Asian longhorned beetle page says the beetle attacks healthy hardwood trees as well as stressed ones, and that large round exit holes about 0.4 inches (1 cm) across are a visible sign of infestation.

Spotted lanternfly

The Georgia Department of Agriculture spotted lanternfly page says the first live population in Georgia was found in Fulton County in October 2024 and was the only known presence of the insect in the state at the time of the page. It names the reporting steps for a sighting and tells travelers to non-infested areas to check vehicles, trailers and camping gear. The page does not set out a firewood order.

For other states see the table on moving wood and firewood.

Moving firewood in Georgia: the repealed emerald ash borer quarantine and what the state asks instead

The emerald ash borer quarantine and its repeal

What the Forestry Commission says about firewood

Spotted lanternfly

Sources