Nashville-The Tennessee Division of Forestry has quarantined the counties of Claiborne, Grainger, Knox, Loudon, Blount and Sevier from wood removal due to the Emerald Ash borer; the counties of  Union, Anderson, Knox, Loudon, Blount, and Sevier for Thousand cancers disease(TCD) and Scott, Roane, Morgan, Monroe, McMinn, Jefferson, Grainger, Cocke, Claiborne, and Campbell counties are buffer regulated for TCD.

To prevent the spread of tree damaging insects and diseases citizens can do the following things: Leave firewood at home, don’t transport it to campgrounds, parks, or events, use firewood from local sources or purchase federally or state certified firewood.

If firewood has been moved, burn it all before leaving an area. Tell your friends and neighbors not to move firewood.

A host of exotic and invasive insects have been unknowingly introduced by people carting firewood around the country and / or ordering wood (mainly walnut from the Western U.S. and / or federally quarantined counties) for woodworking projects. Walnut twig beetle, an invasive from the western U.S., carries Thousand Cankers Disease.  Asian Long-Horned Beetle, Gypsy moth, Emerald Ash Borer, and Sirex wood wasp can also be mistakenly transplanted, leading to damage to native hardwoods.