LANSING, Mich. — Campers, cabin owners and anyone else hauling firewood into Michigan have less than two months before a new state quarantine takes effect. On Jan. 1, 2027, the state stops letting in any firewood that lacks proof of heat treatment.
The rule comes from MDARD, the state’s agriculture department, and it covers every traveler crossing the state line, along with wood sold at stores and gas stations outside Michigan. To be allowed in, firewood has to be cooked in a certified kiln until its core hits at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit and stays there for 60 minutes. It must carry a seal or label from the department, another state’s agriculture agency or the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Wood that is simply labeled kiln-dried does not qualify on that basis alone, the department says, since drying wood to remove moisture does not prove it reached the temperature needed to kill insects and disease. Kiln-dried dimensional lumber, wood pellets and chips no bigger than an inch in two dimensions are exempt, as is raw wood headed straight to sawmills, paper mills, pellet plants and similar processors.
State officials say the goal is to keep pests out before they can settle in. Firewood can carry upward of 140 kinds of plant pests and diseases. The list includes oak wilt, the spotted lanternfly, balsam woolly adelgid and the Asian longhorned beetle, and they often hide under bark where inspectors cannot see them.
Enforcement will ramp up slowly. The department plans to spend 2027 on education. Starting Jan. 1, 2028, violators get a warning letter first, and a repeat offense can cost between $1,000 and $10,000. Someone who turns themselves in faces a cap of $500.
Firewood from Canada has had to be heat-treated under federal rules since 2008. The state advises buying wood within 10 miles of where it will be burned and leaving any extra behind. The state environmental agency, EGLE, is pointing residents to an upcoming webinar on the change.
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