Forest rangers will be at the gates of New Hampshire Motor Speedway to confiscate out-of-state campfire wood from campers at this week’s race events. The town’s deputy fire chief, William Lake, said only local wood is acceptable for campers at the speedway’s summer events, including this weekend’s New Hampshire 301 NASCAR Sprint Cup race. Authorities either take out-of-state campfire wood or exchange it with New Hampshire wood, he said, to prevent the spread of a destructive bug called the emerald ash borer. The emerald ash borer is just one of the bugs that could arrive in out-of-state firewood, said Piera Siegert, a state entomologist, but it poses a terrible threat to the Granite State as it has struck ash trees in 11 communities. According to federal forest officials, the bug, which is native to Asia, is considered a major forest pest in the United States. It is so deadly to ash trees that it threatens the entire North American ash family, forestry officials said in a media release.(Union Leader)(7-15-2015)
