Hunters, if the supply list for your trip up north this deer season includes firewood, cross it off right now. Instead, wait until you get there to buy it local, or pick up some certified firewood on the way.

That’s because it is sometimes illegal, and always a bad idea, to move firewood from county to county, unless it’s certified by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. Firewood can carry pests and diseases in the form of gypsy moth egg masses, emerald ash borer larvae and the fungus that causes oak wilt. It could even harbor pests and diseases we...