June 2, 2024

Lets go Camping! PlayCleanGo Awareness Week June 1-8, 2024

Celebrate PlayCleanGo Awareness Week by doing your part to prevent the spread of invasive species while camping/RVing! Use local firewood and clean your RV/tent to remove mud and plant material before heading on your next adventure. Your favorite vacation destinations will thank you!

HELP STOP THE SPREAD OF INVASIVE FOREST PESTS. 

Our forests are threatened by invasive tree-killing pests like emerald ash borer, spongy moth, and Asian longhorn beetle that can hitchhike on firewood. 

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

• Leave firewood at home - buy local firewood at or near your destination, or collect firewood on site when permitted. 
• Buy or collect only what you'll need, and burn it all completely by the end of your stay.
• If you have already moved firwood, use it immediately. Do not take it home with you, and do not leave excess firewood on site. 

Take Action: RV Camping

• Sweep out RV interior prior to leaving.
• Look for suspicious splotches in your vehicles’ wheel wells and underside. Egg masses of invasive insects could look like dried mud. Dispose of suspicious splotches in rubbing alcohol.
• Spray down your vehicle with water or compressed air to remove mud and plant parts from tires and fenders.
• Be sure to not bring firewood from home to your campsite. Buy it where you burn it, buy certified heat-treated firewood, or gather on site when permitted.
• Make sure your local firewood comes from within 50 miles, and ideally within 10 miles, of where you plan to burn it.
• Leave any remaining local firewood at the campsite or with the camp host. Don’t take it home with you.
• Learn about firewood rules and regulations in your area by visiting Don’t Move Firewood’s Firewood Map.

Take Action: Tent Camping

• Never bring firewood from home to your campsite. Buy it where you burn it.
• Don’t move firewood further than 10 miles from where it originated. 
• Leave any remaining firewood at the campsite or leave it with the camp host.
• Learn more about firewood rules and regulations in your area by visiting The Nature Conservancy’s Firewood Map.
• Keep pets clean by removing mud and seeds. For tough burrs on pets use a little coconut oil on the burr and pinch it break it up into pieces and comb them out of fur.  
• Brush clean your tent and hammocks before packing up to remove any plant parts, seeds, and dirt.
• Shake or sweep out the interior of the tent prior to packing.
• At home, setup tent, tarp, and hammocks to allow them to dry out and remove and remaining organic material.