Yosemite is escalating messaging this summer to protect native forests from invasive insects and diseases. When making a reservation on Recreation.gov, campers now see:
Please Don't Move Firewood: Please protect Yosemite National Park from invasive species by obtaining or purchasing your firewood at or near your camping destination. Firewood from out of the area can carry insects and diseases that threaten the health of our western forests. You can make a difference by buying and burning your firewood locally. http://www.nps.gov/yose/naturescience/forest-pests.htm.
Visitors will begin seeing the message on posters and cards in National Park Service and US Forest Service contact stations and campgrounds in July. Yosemite has not instituted a firewood ban like Shenandoah National Park. We are simply asking visitors (and residents) to acquire their firewood within 50 miles of their planned fires. Invasive forest pests are already in city landscapes in Merced, Madera, and Fresno! Workers don't need to confiscate or destroy wood from beyond the 50-mile zone; we just ask for voluntary compliance, and that if uninformed campers bring wood from outside the area that they burn it all during their stay.