Friends of Geode held a second wood splitting workday. In ordinary years, the split wood would be used to supply both the campground and beach fire boxes. This year with the beach road closed for parking lot repair, the wood will be for sale at the campground. The efforts of the Friends serve several purposes: using fallen and thinned trees wisely, helping keep the park grounds attractive and clean, provide wood for heat and cooking at the campground and raising funds for improvements to the concession stand and other areas of the park.
A dedicated crew organized by Tyler Stigge has been a huge help. The specialized heavy duty wood splitters are especially loved. Tractors, chain saws, dump trucks and many hands round out the many tasks. The ash mountain has grown and should last through this camping season. Ash can be defined in two ways. The ash trees of course provide much of the split wood and the ash that is going to be formed when it is burned. Credit Tyler for this little bit of humor. Doris Dickey’s work providing and organizing a delicious lunch for the crew is well appreciated.
An important but little recognized purpose for providing local firewood was highlighted in the DNR press release of May 23, 2023. It is critically necessary to protect Iowa’s forests — leave your firewood at home. The Friends of Geode, with the assistance of the park officers, make sure that the wood grown at Geode State Park stays in the park and is used as firewood. No wood is imported from another site. All campers are asked not to transport wood from their home areas to the park as well as to not transport wood out of the park to another campground. The DNR asks that campers buy firewood on site and burn it there. Tivon Feeley, DNR forest health forester, reminds everyone that moving unseasoned firewood around the state threatens the health of our Iowa forests by spreading insects and disease wildly.
The recent infestation of the emerald ash borer statewide is a perfect example. The first beetles were identified in 2010 in Allamakee County having migrated from Michigan. In 2023, the borer has been identified in 96 of our 99 counties. Only Plymouth, Palo Alto and Emmet are considered EAB free. The insects don’t move far on their own. They arrived through the introduction of contaminated firewood. As you can imagine, they can travel hundreds of miles in a day this way. All varieties of ash tree can be infected. Size, age or health have nothing to do with the infestation.
It is critical that everyone pay attention to the spread of invasive diseases and the carriers of those diseases. Thousand cankers disease in black walnuts is spreading across the nation. All foresters admit the question is not “WILL,” but “WHEN WILL” black walnut canker infestations arrive in Iowa’s forests. Care must be taken by all to prevent invasive damage to Iowa’s flora and fauna from any foreign invasion.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship requires all firewood sold or acquired in Iowa to display the county and state of harvest location on the label of the packages and a delivery ticket for bulk firewood. Everyone has experienced the loss of the American chestnut tree, Dutch elm disease and now the Emerald Ash Borer. Camp responsibly and prevent the loss of more species.
Learn more about emerald ash borer and why one should not move firewood from location to location, visit the DNR website at www.iowadnr.gov/eab. Media Contact: Tivon Feeley, Forest Health Forester, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 515-669-1402. Tivon is a great resource regarding the health of our forests’ past, current and future.