Moving firewood in North Dakota: emerald ash borer quarantine, county labels and compliance agreements

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It follows the North Dakota Department of Agriculture firewood and emerald ash borer pages, Chapter 7-04-04 of the North Dakota Administrative Code and the Don't Move Firewood summary.

What the rule regulates

Chapter 7-04-04 of the North Dakota Administrative Code on emerald ash borer, effective July 1, 2020, lists the regulated articles in section 7-04-04-02:

The emerald ash borer in any stage of development.
Firewood of all nonconiferous (hardwood) species.
Entire ash trees.
Untreated ash limbs, branches, logs, stumps and roots with bark and sapwood.
Ash nursery stock, ash chips and ash bark chips.

Section 7-04-04-03 says the commissioner keeps the list or map of regulated areas on the department website.

Conditions on moving regulated articles

Under section 7-04-04-04, regulated materials may not move from a regulated area to a non-regulated area except under set conditions. Ash nursery stock movement is prohibited with no exceptions. Other regulated articles must be treated or handled under a compliance agreement or permit from the department or the state of origin. They may instead be inspected in the state of origin and found apparently free of infestation, shown on a phytosanitary certificate or certificate of inspection, or treated in a way approved by the regulator in the state of origin. The rule says hardwood firewood is labeled to county or parish of origin for partially regulated states. A compliance agreement is defined in section 7-04-04-01 as a written agreement between the person moving regulated articles and the commissioner. Section 7-04-04-05 says violators may be subject to penalties under North Dakota Century Code section 4.1-23-08, and section 7-04-04-06 lets the commissioner make exceptions.

What the department pages say

According to the department firewood page says moving firewood less than 50 miles from its origin is generally acceptable, that firewood from certain areas is prohibited from entering North Dakota, and that firewood movement outside a quarantined area, even in state, is prohibited. It says hardwood firewood must be labeled to its harvest origin. It answers yes to selling firewood from your own property, and that selling across long distances calls for treated or certified wood. It gives heat treatment at 60 degrees C (140 degrees F) for at least 60 minutes as typically effective for emerald ash borer, and says many states use 71.1 degrees C (160 degrees F) for at least 75 minutes. The same page says the borer was detected in LaMoure County in 2024 and in Cass and Burleigh counties in 2026, and lists the quarantined areas as of August 25, 2026: 32 whole states and the District of Columbia, plus counties in Minnesota, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Alabama and Louisiana, and the three North Dakota counties.

According to the department emerald ash borer page repeats the three counties. It says new infestations are typically found by city foresters or tree removal companies during routine pruning and branch checks, and that a trap detection usually points to a population already established in an area. It gives a reporting phone line of 701-328-5110.

The Don't Move Firewood summary

According to the Don't Move Firewood North Dakota summary, marked accurate as of February 2026, the North Dakota Forest Service prohibits out-of-state firewood at its campgrounds and provides a free bundle of firewood for each paid campsite.

For other states and provinces see the table on moving wood and firewood. Minnesota borders North Dakota: see moving firewood in Minnesota.