Moving firewood in New Hampshire: out-of-state ban, heat-treatment label and compliance agreements

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It follows the NHBugs pages run by the state's forest health program and the Don't Move Firewood summary of the New Hampshire quarantine. The New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food pages blocked automated access on October 8, 2026, so its rule text and FAQ were not read.

The ban on out-of-state firewood

According to the NHBugs firewood page, New Hampshire has banned the import of untreated firewood since July 2011, unless the wood meets the requirements for compliance agreements. It says the state implemented a firewood quarantine in 2011 to stop uncertified firewood entering. The page says all firewood of out-of-state origin is prohibited unless it is labeled as certified heat-treated to 140 degrees F (60 degrees C) for 60 minutes.

The Don't Move Firewood New Hampshire summary, marked accurate as of August 2025, adds that the label has to carry the name and address of the federal or state approved production facility. It names Asian longhorned beetle, emerald ash borer, oak wilt and spotted lanternfly as pests the quarantine protects against. It also says anyone moving firewood inside the state is expected to have a receipt or other proof of origin to show law enforcement.

Compliance agreements

Commercial operations that want to bring firewood from outside New Hampshire are told to contact the Forest Health Program for a compliance agreement.
Agreements may be issued to transporters bringing firewood to a heat-treatment kiln or a similar facility able to reduce the pest risk of moving and storing it.
Untreated out-of-state firewood may move into the state only under a compliance agreement and only to a certified heat-treatment kiln or similar facility.
Firewood that began in New Hampshire and went out of state for processing may be eligible for a compliance agreement to come back, if the origin can be documented and the identity and security of the New Hampshire wood is kept in the processing yard.

What the program's research found

The NHBugs page reports Division of Forests and Lands surveys. It says over 40 percent of out-of-state campers were bringing firewood from home, that confiscated out-of-state firewood averaged 35 insects per stick of wood, and that it came from places as distant as California, New York and Florida. It says all but five states have restrictions on moving out-of-state firewood or advocate limiting it.

Where emerald ash borer rules stand

The NHBugs emerald ash borer regulatory page says ash wood and ash wood products were deregulated in New Hampshire in 2018, while live life stages of the borer stay regulated under the invasive species rules in Agr 3802.01. It says the out-of-state firewood restriction remains. On federal rules, it says that from January 14, 2021 the USDA no longer regulates the borer or the movement of ash wood, ash products and hardwood firewood, and no longer issues permits, certifications or compliance agreements for them. It lists Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Tennessee and Wisconsin as states with existing emerald ash borer regulations, and says the list is not exhaustive. A state compliance agreement is described there as issued after a visit to the facility by a state inspector and renewed annually.

Neighboring states

The Don't Move Firewood summary says Connecticut, Maine, New York and Vermont have similar rules. See moving firewood in Vermont and moving firewood in Maine.

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