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HANNIBAL, MO. -- This weekend may be a popular one to hit the woods and maybe do a little camping.

When you're packing, make sure and not bring along firewood for your campfire.

Remember this about firewood. Buy it where you burn it.

David Vance says, "Basically, you don't want to move it great distances. If you're planning to go camping down at the Lake of the Ozarks, I wouldn't suggest moving it from northern Missouri to southern Missouri."

The reason ... the Emerald Ash Borer. That's just one insect that can damage trees. As its name suggests, the EAB as it's commonly known attacks Ash Trees. There are a lot of green, white, and blue ash trees in this area. Right now the EAB is not in the Tri-States, but it's just a matter of time.

Vance says, "It's one of those things that it's going to eventually spread and we want to try and reduce it because a lot of yards and communities have a lot of ash trees. Emerald Ash Borers will destroy the ash trees."

Once the ash trees are destroyed, they become easy targets for wind storms or just falling over. There are other bugs, diseases, and fungi that can kill trees too, which it's why you shouldn't transport firewood.

Vance adds, "In Missouri, there's only a quarantine in southern Missouri. Illinois has a quarantine, so you cannot move any hardwood firewood from Illinois to Missouri."

Iowa is in the same shape as Missouri. The EAB has been found in one county each in Missouri and Iowa, so there's no statewide ban. Illinois has about 25 counties that have the bug, so that's why it's especially important to burn it where you buy it.

David Vance says a 50 mile radius is still a safe distance to move firewood.

For more information on the Emerald Ash Borer, you can visit www.emeraldashborer.info or call 1-866-716-9974.